Sam Liu and Kristina Anderson, M.A. invited Anthea Hoyle to their Effective Partnership Strategies course this Spring to discuss the challenges and rewards of a consulting career. Ms. Hoyle is Managing Director, North America at United Minds, part of the Weber Shandwick Collective. United Minds is focused on the employee side of business transformation, finding useful, meaningful, and effective ways to deliver on the business ambitions and brand promises of their clients. “To get the end customer experience, she says, “you must have the right employee experiences.” Over the last 15 years, Anthea has worked with leading brands, including American Express, Unilever, UPS, DuPont, GE Capital, BP, Bayer, and Merck.
United Minds takes an “inside-out” approach that rests on an organization’s partnerships with their people. In a similar vein, the core of consulting work also rests on effective partnerships. Her approach to building partnerships starts with a mantra: “it’s not about me or us – it’s about them, the client.” She specifically points to seeking an understanding of how to be the most helpful, and recognizing that, “our achievements depend on what we can do with other people.”
Ms. Hoyle has seen consulting become increasingly challenging to balance client needs against the fast pace of change. “Clients are wanting everything faster, with less time on the upfront,” she explained. “They look for consultants who are agile.” This means getting creative with project scopes and timelines as well as getting comfortable with continuously changing end-points. “It can feel like more chaos and less structure,” she admitted. It is important, however, to remember the big picture. She coaches her team on resilience. “We can’t influence the client’s business decisions, but we can listen to their needs and propose the best solution,” she said. Believing in the solution helps bring purpose to the work. During difficult moments, she recommends her team look for a learning opportunity. "Every experience builds your consulting capabilities,” she said.
She offers this career advice to our students: "Stay curious, always be learning. Have a helping, service mindset. The easiest way to ensure you have a job is to be useful. Roll up your sleeves and get in there.” She caveats this sentiment when thinking of new team members: although junior staff have much to offer in the way of new ideas and ways of delivering for the client, this must be balanced with an understanding that success is a team effort. "The work is your client’s work, your team’s work. Success is about coming together.”
She adds, "I never planned to be a leader. I wanted to be helpful and I leaned in.”
Thank you, Anthea, for sharing your experiences to help our class gain a deeper understanding of the rewards and challenges of a career in consulting.
