It's often said that a firm's leader sets the tone. But rarely is that sentiment truer than at Suntiva Executive Consulting. The firm is the result of the unique business philosophy—and career track—of founder Hany Malik.
He learned the business side of running a consulting firm from his years as an executive at American Management Systems (which was dissolved in 2004 and sold to CACI and CGI group). "After working at AMS for many years, I made a realization that running a successful consulting firm is half about making sound business decisions and half knowing how to get the best out of people. That realization took me on my journey." He left AMS to pursue a Masters and Ph. D in clinical psychology.
"At Suntiva, I'm able to apply those powerful psychology concepts and principals to the business world," he says. "Our professionals have the best technical skills, but are also individuals with great character—people you enjoy working with."
As Chairman, Malik says his job is to set a vision and hire the right talent to execute on that vision. "One thing we will never compromise on is the quality of our Suntiva family. We are extremely selective [in our hiring]. One of my biggest tasks is to continue to be selective, even if it means slowing down the growth a little bit."
With the firm on pace to increase headcount significantly again in 2010, after almost doubling the firm's size in 2009, Malik has made a number of investments in his recruiting process. First, he hired a full-time recruiter, an unusual move for a firm his size. Second, he established a "generous" employee referral bonus to encourage employees to refer potential hires.
Once he identifies his target hires, he puts them through a series of interviews with other psychologists he has on staff. And once hired, he begins an extensive on-boarding process. "We invest heavily in bringing people into the firm in a very deliberate and systematic way so that they know our expectations very quickly."
Part of this process includes quarterly reviews for the first year. All employees are reviewed every six months. "In our reviews, we take the pulse of what's happening by checking in with that person's managers and clients," he says.
While elaborate, the process is paying dividends. In 2009, involuntary attrition was just 2 percent and voluntary attrition was 8 percent. Those two numbers indicate that the firm doesn't make many hires it later regrets and, those it hires, tend to stay for a while.
Malik is constantly looking for the best consultants, even if there isn't a specific need at the moment. "When we find the right person, we hire them and then find something for them to do. When we find a gem we'd love to have, they're usually smart and figure something out. When you have the best people, work just follows," he says.
This commitment to finding and retaining consultants "takes a lot of time and investment dollars, but we think it just makes business sense."
—Jess Scheer
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