1) Stroud Consulting
What Stroud Consulting has done on this year's Best Small Firms to Work For survey is nothing short of amazing. For the first time in the survey's 12-year history, one firm swept all six categories the survey measures. No firm scored higher than Stroud in the areas of Culture, Client Engagement, Compensation & Benefits, Work/Life Balance, Career Development and Leadership.
And since Consulting added the Best Small Firms to the survey five years ago, Stroud has been the No. 1 firm four times. (Stroud finished No. 2 in 2009.) So, how does a small firm that just celebrated its 10th anniversary do it year in and year out?
"One of Stroud's primary principles is to enjoy life, both within and outside of work," says Andy Jones, a Partner with the firm. "Working with happy, successful consultants and clients is a major part of that."
And based on the written feedback Consulting received from Stroud employees, it's safe to say that they are happy. Adjectives like "amazing," "incredible" and even "life-changing" are scattered everywhere in descriptions from employees. One even went so far as to say: "I actively recruit friends and strangers every weekend. Literally. Even in casual, social encounters."
It's no wonder, then, that Jones says the firm "doesn't look to drive our culture through special projects or initiatives, it's part of the fabric of our business and a focus of everyone in the firm, every day. The continual, intense feedback we give one another is fundamental to our culture."
Jones says Stroud has people "who are brilliant and fearless, and it's a huge amount of fun working with them. We believe in unleashing potential, and our consultants do it every day," he says. "Our combination of business acumen and technical confidence allows us to pull alongside our client's people and genuinely help them achieve more than they thought possible."
This type of exceptional client delivery, no doubt, has been instrumental to Stroud's success, and the firm continues to expand rapidly—Stroud opened a Calgary office last year—and offers the firm the opportunity to continue to develop its people. "We work hard on incredibly stimulating work," Jones says. "We also provide real opportunities for rapid learning and development for our people, particularly leadership skills."
And Jones says the main impact of being a Best Small Firm to Work For is the added inspiration it provides to be even better next year. "Aside from the recruiting and retention benefit, our clients know our people are happy and passionate about their work," he says.
Q&A: What is your top priority over the next 12 months?
Andy Jones, a Partner, says: "Over the next twelve months, we continue to see unlimited growth opportunities for the firm across manufacturing, energy and process industries. We will remain focused on our people and our personal commitment to grow them to the best of our ability.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.