Laura Lehew, 10/26/2009

Current Occupation: Consultant / Writer
Former Occupation: Technical Support Engineer, Sr. Support Engineer– Information Systems Help Desk, Team Leader – Corporate Information Systems Response Center, Project Leader – Human Resources, Benefits Specialist, Administrator –Human Resources, Principal, Paralegal, Secretary, File Clerk
Contact Information: President and CFO of Deer Run Associates, which provides information technology and security consulting services to clients across the U.S. and abroad; active in the high tech industry for over 25 years, previously serving in a variety of positions for companies in the Bay Area; award-winning poet whose work appears in myriad national and international journals and anthologies and in a chapbook, /Beauty/, published by Tiger’s Eye Press in ’09; M.F.A in writing from the California College of Arts; member of the Lane Literary Guild steering committee, Oregon State Poetry Association Board Member & Contest Chair, and edits Uttered Chaos.

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Everything I learned From Start-Ups

Senior management does not care about you.

Customer service is another axiom for following the golden rule.

There are never enough hours in the day to do your job properly.

Management will never hire enough qualified people.

Document, document, document.

C.Y.A (cover your ass).

You can’t do your work and go to meetings.

If you are in meetings for more than half your day, quit.

Quit when you are required to wear shoes.

Quit when the free stuff isn’t.

Quit when you do the job and your boss takes the credit.

Quit when your boss is fired for politics.

Quit when management hires a consulting agency to optimize the process.

Quit when you get the feeling it’s time.

Quit and management will finally offer you what you are worth,

offer you the job that you really want.

Stock options are just options.

Golden handcuffs are only handcuffs, if you let them be.

The promise of money is just a word.

Not given in earnest.

Go back to school with the stocks and bonuses.

Take something you enjoy.

Leave the industry and never look back.