My First 90 Days with Mekorma - Mitch Holfeld

To gain meaningful perspective on one’s current and future endeavors, I have always believed that you must take a moment to reflect on the journey one has travelled.

I have been involved in the Microsoft Dynamics suite of business solution software offerings for just over two decades. Or as I like to see it, a little over half my lifetime. I do my best work when I have a strong connection to my employer – it’s no surprise that I have been with only two different companies for the last two decades. Both are extraordinary organizations where I formed deep, enduring friendships.

My past experiences have set high expectations of future employers.

A New Era

I’ve recently begun a new position as a Software Engineer with Mekorma. Moving to my third employer took an exceptional amount of courage, trust, and belief. Belief in the brand I am joining, belief in the technology I will be involved with, belief in knowing I am “good enough,” but most importantly – belief in the people I will be working with.

I am grateful to say that my trust was not misplaced. Initial discussions and interviews felt more like long lost friendship catchups - early signs that Mekorma was not your typical employer or software company.

Before I even started my first day, I had a very good idea what all my tasks would be for the very first month, a good idea of what departments I would be working with, and who the people in those departments were. This was all courtesy of a thorough onboarding plan presented to me. The presentation explained who Mekorma is, my roles and responsibilities, overviews of core systems I would make use of, colleague introductions and a comprehensive task plan on what I should focus on for the first 90 days.

During my first week, I received unexpected calls from colleagues just to have a social introduction about my life and personal interests, and naturally about theirs. Again, it was like catching up with old friends. I received a lovely bottle of gin as a gift delivered to my home.

The week was a very low stress event. This is something I really appreciated. “Breaking the ice” is always the toughest part about any new relationship!

In the weeks that followed, guided by my onboarding plan and dedicated mentors, I was thoughtfully and meticulously integrated into the inner workings of the organization and quickly transitioned to adding output and value. No request for assistance was ever too much and was always quickly attended to with a smile.

The level of professionalism and attention to detail in everything Mekorma does is an inspiration -and is a satisfactory stimulation to my perfectionistic nature. This includes DevOps process management and utilization, customer service levels, and the systems Mekorma employs to manage external and internal processes.

There is a strong ethos around employee buy-in and participation in the organization’s strategic direction. I always feel motivated after a team meeting, and sense that my buy-in/contribution was valuable.

More than just a business

I value the sense of family and culture - a place of work that employees can call their second home, relatable to who they are as people. Mekorma strongly tries to achieve this. Creating a positive culture is so important that they have a dedicated Steward of Learning and Culture.

The formula is clearly working - many employees have been at Mekorma for more than a decade. This is rare in the current “Great Resignation” being witnessed around the world. The only colleagues leaving Mekorma are retiring! Many colleagues I have initially spoken to say "it's a great company to work for.”

Colleagues have a genuine interest in my life - there are few calls/meetings I have attended which have not started with some type of social chat and personal inquiry of how you are. In fact, I see myself as having been quite rude in my first few weeks at Mekorma, as I can tend to be a “straight down to business” kind of guy. I have had to “up my game” by being more friendly and caring to fellow colleagues, as this was so evident in Mekorma culture.

The Future

Having concluded my first 90 days at Mekorma, I am grateful for the warm welcome I received. Working with some of the top minds in the industry that I can now call colleagues, there is an overwhelming sense of excitement and adventure in what the future holds. I am proud to call Mekorma my second home.