The 2020 Rising Stars of the Profession: Russell Thesing

Russell Thesing has always enjoyed the variability that consulting provides. He interviewed with the Big Four as an undergrad and was sold on the vision of luxurious travel destinations and a career of accelerated growth. "While my destinations have not always been 'luxurious,' my career development has been on a fast track from Day 1," he says. "I'm most proud of my journey." 

Thesing says the work that he's been fortunate enough to do has been outcome-driven, whether it's been an ERP implementation or an advisory project. "Even though the work was aimed at an outcome, I'm proud of the day-to-day journey where I've been able to build strong relationships with individuals from all levels in the client organization," he says. "Helping others work better together in their day-to-day interactions and leaving an impact on individuals through the journey is something that brings me the most pride and joy."

It's probably not surprising then, that he says curiosity has been the main driver of his success to date. 

"In my career, my clients have been across various industries and focused on different outcomes," Thesing says. "As a result, I have needed to be curious on each engagement to understand my clients' landscape to better serve them." 

That has led to a real rapid increase of his consulting capabilities. "The stack of skills I've developed from working across a variety of industries, projects, and roles on projects has given me a unique skillset with points of view from multiple angles," Thesing says. "These skills allow me to provide a unique perspective to all clients on how best to structure and deliver change to achieve outcomes."

As far as winning a Rising Stars of the Profession award, Thesing says it is a tremendous honor and validates the impact of the work he's done in his career to date. 

"I also look at this as a challenge to continue to understand myself and how best to engage others to achieve results for my own company, for my clients, and for the individuals I'm fortunate enough to work with day in and day out," he says.

Q&A: What's the best advice—personal or professional—you've ever received? 

Thesing: "Be yourself." In order to be myself, I've spent a great deal of time learning to know myself. In knowing myself, I am able to discern between what I'm fully capable of and where I need to grow or get support. This has made me more effective in every aspect of my life, including my career. I'm excited to continue learning about myself, and in turn, modeling a healthy behavior for others to follow in their own career and life journey."