Carlos Figueroa
Principal
North Highland
Excellence in Public SectorCarlos Figueroa, a principal and Washington D.C. Human Capital practice lead with North Highland, prides himself in going above and beyond the required perimeters of his job—whether that’s mentoring colleagues within North Highland, or serving a high profile client roster that includes the Department of Homeland Security, the Academy for Educational Development, and the Brookings Institution.
For example, during the course of one human capital engagement, he realized that the members of his client team had varying backgrounds in human capital and, therefore, might have a hard time communicating and executing the new programs. So, he and his colleagues made time, beyond what they were hired to do, to educate and coach each client team member to prepare them to deliver and sustain the programs. “All clients expect their consultants to help them change organizationally, at North Highland we also concern ourselves about the individual changes necessary us to help our clients be successful”, he says.
He brings the same passion to internal matters. He was recently recognized internally as the firm’s “Coach of the Year,” for his work providing coaching and support for junior and senior staff. He also assists in the development and rollout of North Highland’s internal Performance Management and Inclusion and Diversity programs.
While most consultants are exhausted by the requirements of their job, Figueroa can’t stop himself from going the extra mile. “I blame it on my mother,” he says.
“She brought us up to support and serve others. I try to always bring that philosophy to both my clients and my colleagues.” he says. “Fortunately, that philosophy fits well with the North Highland culture where exceeding client expectations and supporting one another’s success is the norm.”
His strong sense of humility also sets him apart from many consultants. He found out he was being recognized as one of this year’s Top 25 Consultants during his semi-annual review. “I was sitting with my coach discussing my review when I was told we were going to conference in Kristen Vennum, a North Highland principal who nominated him for the honor. “Naturally I was concerned as it’s quite unusual to bring in another vice president during the review. When she told me about the selection, I was in shock. I had to call her again that evening to confirm what I had heard.”
—Jess Scheer
>> Full list of Top 25 Consultants 2010
