Thinking about my short experience so far at Indium Corporation, the main thing that comes to mind is how significantly my perspective on the business world has changed. Coming into this internship, I thought I knew what to expect. Being a financial accounting intern, I would have expected to be working at a desk on my own project that is specifically tailored to the financial aspect of the business. Occasionally, I would work with other members of the finance and accounting team when I needed help on my project or I could aid them in some way on their work. That could not have turned out to be farther from reality. Although I do work with the finance and accounting team, I also have to interact with so many other departments. I have quickly come to realize that you cannot be successful by focusing solely and working strictly on your own work.
My first week on the job, my supervisor had me researching the company and learning about how it operates. At first, this seemed like it was going to be a very simple and quick task. I was a local kid who grew up in the area, and I had known of Indium Corporation for many years. I thought “I know about the basics of the company, how much more would I really have to know?” However, Indium Corporation is much more complex than it may appear to those on the outside. I never realized the scale at which Indium Corporation operates and the nuances of the business. Even though I had driven by the facilities hundreds of times, I was unaware of the thriving business that was operating in my own backyard. By looking through the website, sitting in on meetings, and simply interacting with people in the office, I really discovered what this company is all about. It is built on a culture of respect, appreciation, and achievement that is evident as soon as you interact with any employee. I have already found this knowledge of the company to be very beneficial in my own work, and I have only been at Indium Corporation for a few weeks. I believe that it is crucial for all employees to understand how their work contributes to the company as a whole. Everyone’s individual tasks are part of something much bigger; they are a cog in a much larger machine.
At Indium Corporation, we believe materials science changes the world. Many people have said to me, “sitting at a desk all day working on spreadsheets must be boring.” It would be, if that was all I did and if that was how I viewed my job. Everything a business does involves money in some way or another, so working in finance means that you have to interact with everybody and are involved in nearly every aspect of the business. One thing that has surprised me so far is how interconnected every department is. All the numbers that I work with in financial data represent real activities that occur throughout the company. To better understand these numbers, it is important to understand the people and functions that create them. Already in my first two weeks, I have been involved in regular financial activities, meetings on government contracts and purchasing, and then, something a little simpler, sending out a survey for Summerfest, a corporate celebration that occurs every summer. This has helped me gain a better appreciation for how choices are made throughout the organization. By imagining how my work contributes to Indium Corporation’s goal, it adds meaning to what I do. When I make a visualization about some presumably obscure financial metric, it may seem irrelevant to most, but it will hopefully go on to be used by others to make decisions that drive the direction of the company and ultimately allow Indium Corporation to change the world.
As a sports-minded individual, I often think about things in terms of sports to better understand them. In my opinion, a sports analogy can describe the simplest process or the most complex operation, and business is no exception. Just like a sports team, everyone in a company has a role to play in order for that company to be successful. It has been said before that not everyone can score in basketball, since there is only one ball, but that does not mean that not everyone can impact the game. A good team has players that can perform different aspects of the game and complement each other in doing so. You need someone to handle the ball, score, pass, rebound, defend, set screens, and more. It is impossible for one player to accomplish all of these elements of the game, which is why you need a team. At a business such as Indium Corporation, there are people in production, operations, engineering, quality, supply chain, research & development, sales, marketing, and many other areas. If just one of these segments falls behind, then the whole business will suffer as a result.
I see the finance team as a traditional point guard of the company. The point guard is usually involved in every offensive play in some form or another, just as the finance department is involved with so many different procedures. We have to understand how the company operates most efficiently, which is just like understanding the offense. The point guard typically initiates the offense so if they do not know the game plan, then the team will be in shambles. The point guard also has to know their teammates’ strengths and preferences well so that they can help put them in spots where they can be most successful. Some of the greatest point guards of all time, like Chris Paul and Steve Nash, have talked about how they study where their teammates prefer to catch a pass to shoot and where they shoot the highest percentages. If the finance department understands what other departments are trying to accomplish, then it becomes much easier to support their goals and provide them with the resources they need to be productive.
I think that most people would agree that it is much easier to find a way to complete a goal when you know what that goal is. As simple as that sounds, people do not think about it enough. If you do not understand the purpose of your work, then how are you going to produce results that help drive the company forward? That would be like driving a car when you do not know where you want to go. In my short time here at Indium Corporation so far, this has already become quite apparent to me. It is all about perspective. When people are faced with a task, I think that they should first think about how their work will be used in the future, then think about how they will accomplish that job. Too often people are given a job and they just immediately think, “how can I get it done?” This can be great, as they have a driven mentality, but they do not consider the bigger picture. No matter what area of a business you work in, your work does not exist in isolation. Every process, project, and decision contributes to a more extensive objective. As I continue my internship this summer, I hope to add to that broader business perspective because it not only makes me better at my current role, but it also helps me to become a more robust professional for the future.
