You simply can not be more consistent than this: The Boston Consulting Group is the only firm that's been on Consulting magazine's Best Firms to Work For list all 11 years. In fact, BCG has placed in the Top 5 every single year.
And while that level of recognition certainly is welcomed news at BCG, it's not the only motivating factor. "Our people gain enormous satisfaction from the exceptional value we create for clients. They are truly proud of the work we do, and their success is reflected in both the direct feedback we receive from clients and in the impact on client results," says Rich Lesser, BCG's Chairman of North and South America. "They also gain a great deal of satisfaction from the broad-based growth we've been able to achieve in recent years. We have performed really well relative to the economy and our industry, sustaining growth in good times and bad."
It's no surprise, then, that BCG is an exceptionally great place to work. Aside from Consulting 's Best Firms to Work For survey, the firm ranked second on Fortune's Best Companies to Work For list earlier this year.
And Lesser says the firm's own annual internal employee attitudes survey produced among the strongest results he's ever seen. "Morale at BCG is extremely high. We provide a unique opportunity to both develop individually and to work in a superb team environment," Lesser says. "Our work is not easy, but environments like ours enable people to grow and thrive, and that translates into high morale."
Keeping morale that way is a big focus for Lesser and BCG—and that all starts with talent. "Our top priority is making the right people investments to sustain our growth," Lesser says. "That means hiring top talent, training them, and retaining them. Also, selectively bringing in experienced hires at the mid- and senior levels to expand the breadth of our expertise and footprint in specific industries."
Another key priority, Lesser says, is staying focused on clients' most important issues—the ones that will transform their companies and industries as BCG navigates a challenging environment—and collaborating with them effectively to ensure long-lasting value creation. Lesser says BCG is strongly positioned to continue to succeed, regardless of any macroeconomic headwinds. "We continue to build our client base and the depth and breadth of work we take on for them," he says. "We are uniquely suited to help our clients figure out how to win in volatile, rapidly changing environments, where you cannot simply use the past as the predictor of the future."
Q&A
On the Best Firms to Work For survey, the Boston Consulting Group scored highest in the areas of Career Development, Compensation & Benefits and Firm Leadership. Consulting asked Rich Lesser, chairman of North and South America, why the firm excelled in these areas. His response follows.
Career Development
"Regarding career development, we continue to invest in our programs and processes to ensure that everyone on both the consulting and business services side feels like they are developing new skills and knowledge. Our founder, Bruce Henderson, once said, 'BCG exists for its people, not the other way around.' That spirit is more alive today than ever. We continue to make major investments in our people. We want to make sure everyone feels trained and well equipped to handle the diverse assignments they'll see in the years to come. For example, we've rolled out new processes and tools to improve our evaluation and development of staff along key dimensions including apprenticeship, expertise, client relationships, and work/life balance."
Compensation & Benefits
"Regarding compensation and benefits, we benchmark total pay to the top quartile of the management consulting industry. And we think it's important to compensate our people well because we want to retain them and because we believe they're worth it. We are also very transparent with our staff about how their compensation will increase as their careers progress. Because we are growing and our staff see many opportunities to advance, that is part of the value equation, too."
Leadership
"Regarding leadership, I think it's about transparency and communication. Through the market's uncertainty of the last few years, we've maintained regular communication so everyone understands where we're headed."
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