I joined Elixirr (more or less) fresh out of university after a 9-month stint at a startup and 3 months surfing in Central America. After 9 months, I was promoted from analyst to consultant. Life as a consultant has been an exciting new challenge, and one that involves a dynamic range of tasks and activities \u2013 each as difficult and rewarding as the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the key components of the consultant role is driving the day-to-day of project work, whether that is within a specific workstream, or as part of a bigger team across a project holistically. Working with more senior members of the team, consultants are responsible for the \u2018on the ground\u2019 project work, and we are expected to be on top of the delivery in line with the project plan. I usually start my day by ensuring that our team are well prepared for key meetings, identifying any immediate actions that need to be addressed and planning high-level tasks for the week. Most project teams have a quick 15-minute meeting at the beginning of the day, and it\u2019s my role to make sure I\u2019m on top of my workstream and actions, updating the manager and flagging any worries. Although consultants have the opportunity to take ownership over specific components of projects, we are never without support. I can always reach out to more senior members of the team for guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once we\u2019ve created a plan for the day, I normally check in with the analyst on my team for a brainstorming session. Our work is really collaborative, and we use this time to breakdown the key items to be addressed for the day and how we can tackle them. From running whiteboarding sessions, to mapping out the slides we need to build and discussing how we want to structure more complex discussions with the client, we leverage our different experiences and skillsets to help each other improve. This helps us to ensure we deliver the best possible outcome for the client. Teams are very dynamic at Elixirr and there\u2019s no assumption that one person knows best – we are always encouraged to challenge each other\u2019s opinions and work collectively with the Partner and Principal team to deliver value. This also encourages more junior members of the team to take on responsibility and lead discussions, and our role as consultants in supporting their development is incredibly rewarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most days involve client engagements and, as a consultant, we are always encouraged to lead discussions. Whether you\u2019ve been working with the client for 3 months or 3 days, we get stuck in instantly – this might involve presenting research, leading workshops or interviewing industry experts. This not only ensures that we have an opportunity to share our perspective, but it also helps us to gain exposure to the client\u2019s issues and truly understand how we can solve them to deliver lasting change. Project work is not just about meeting client expectations, but exceeding them. Playing a key role in these meetings is an important part of understanding how we can do this and truly add value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are The Challenger Consultancy. This philosophy is weaved into our daily lives as consultants. We are encouraged to challenge convention in both client work and otherwise. During my time here, I have supported new business opportunities, where I have worked directly with partners and principals to shape a new business ideas to pitch to clients, as well as internal initiatives in areas such as diversity & inclusion. This mindset is what makes Elixirr unlike other consultancies. We\u2019re not just given the opportunity to drive our own ideas, we\u2019re actively encouraged to pursue them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The greatest aspect of working at Elixirr, at any grade, is the opportunity to drive our own development and career path. Everyone is assigned a partner coach, who you can meet every few weeks to ask for advice, discuss career objectives, and identify development points. I often use our sessions to share an update on my project work and how I\u2019m tackling development points, working with my coach to identify new opportunities for me to challenge myself and look towards the next grade at the firm. The opportunity to spend 1-on-1 time with a partner and gain access to their experience and knowledge is invaluable and what makes our firm unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more insight into life at Elixirr, check out our \u2018day in the life of an intern<\/a>\u2019 and \u2018day in the life of an analyst\u2019 articles, or head over to our Instagram, @theelixirr<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I joined Elixirr (more or less) fresh out of university after a 9-month stint at a startup and 3 months surfing in Central America. After 9 months, I was promoted…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[133,134,136,146],"related_service":[],"related_industry":[],"class_list":["post-29028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-careers","tag-culture","tag-elixirr","tag-leadership"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n