15) West Monroe Partners
West Monroe Partners just celebrated its 10th Anniversary earlier this year. And what better way to celebrate than a return to the Best Firms to Work For ranking. The last time the multi-service firm from Chicago was on Consulting 's list, however, was back in 2010. At that time West Monroe was on our Best Small Firms to Work For list. After a growth spurt, the firm finds itself in with some bigger fish this time around.
And why not? The employee-owned firm just opened an office in Minneapolis and has plans to expand into Boston, Los Angeles and Atlanta soon. Gary Beu, Managing Director, People and Leadership Development at West Monroe, says "growth breeds opportunity." And there should be plenty of that as the firm has annually increased its revenues 25 percent and has added more than 100 people each year.
And taking care of those people is paramount at West Monroe, Beu says. Since the very beginning, Beu says West Monroe's core value of "Putting People First" has always been a key driver for the firm. "Most organizations say they put clients first, but we believed that if our employees were satisfied, it would naturally translate into excellent service for our clients," Beu says. "Being a Best Firm To Work For validates for us that we're truly living this value—creating an environment that engages people in a positive fashion."
Beu says the firm works hard to reinforce that "Putting People First" value in everything it does—investing time in people, connecting with them, and providing guidance on their visions and goals. And the leaders at West Monroe are proud to bear the responsibility of being great coaches and mentors, he says.
In fact, Career Development was one area where West Monroe scored high marks on the survey. All new employees are assigned a coach and a career advisor to help them develop in their career. And to support career development, West Monroe is also rolling out a career equity program that will empower employees to take full ownership of their careers with the tools and guidance to do so.
"We are here to build a great firm for the long-term, and it shows in how we spend our time," Beu says.
Q&A: What were the specific initiatives that you set out to achieve over the last 12 months? The next 12 months?
Gary Beu, Managing Director, People and Leadership Development, says: "Over the past 12 months, we launched a comprehensive re-branding initiative that reflects the firm we have become over our first decade: one with more than 350 people in offices across North America. One foundation of this effort—and a key input to many elements of the re-branding process—was defining and documenting a short list of characteristics that describe the personality traits of a successful employee at our firm: collaborative, confident, flexible, motivated, authentic, curious and upbeat.
These are the qualities for which we look when hiring a new employee. Our top priority over the next 12 months is to build upon our recent rebranding momentum by fine tuning the message we put into the marketplace to further paint the picture of why West Monroe is the best choice for companies in transformative situations, and the best choice for people looking to build a dynamic and engaging career in consulting."
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