How six core values are steering First Consulting's growth
According to First Consulting, six simple words define how its 200+ consultants work internally and with clients. So how can six words play such an important role in the rapidly growing consultancy firm? Jon Nelmes, Managing Director at First Consulting UK, reflects on the firm's core values and how they continue to guide the firm's business.
Founded in The Netherlands in 2006, First Consulting expanded into the UK in 2017. The firm differentiates itself in the market through an integrated approach with an emphasis on "delivering measurable results, working closely together with client teams on their biggest challenges." The UK organisation, which has grown since launch, has a focus on five propositions: Operational Effectiveness, Process Digitisation, Robotic Process Automation, Agile Delivery and Business Change.
First Consulting’s Core Values
"We have six simple, yet powerful words which define who we are and how we work. They are the First Consulting Core Values, and they are embedded into the DNA of our teams in both the Netherlands and the UK. These words are not something we aspire to be, nor are they words that were allocated by an external advisor. The Core Values were created collaboratively by employees when asked what characteristics would describe them best. They continue to be at the forefront of the company’s mindset in the Netherlands, but also for its expansion into the UK."
Sharp, Fun, Daring, No-nonsense, Trust, Together. "These words make up First Consulting’s DNA and by their nature these underpin how we define ourselves – as a no-nonsense business consultancy."
Why are these Core Values important?
Rather than a set of values that the consultancy aspires to achieve, the Core Values are deeply embedded into the First Consulting DNA, explains Nelmes. "Our employees live by our Core Values every day in the way we work and socialise. Acting as a set of guiding principles, they also keep us anchored in our: decision making, the clients and work that we undertake, and how we grow our people and business."
The UK director, who has been working in the consulting industry since 2000, elaborates:
Decision making: Having our core values allows us to focus on what the right thing to do is as we help our clients solve their business problems. By developing enduring, no-nonsense, trust-based relationships with our clients, we are better able to help instigate change and speak out if we feel that there is a better way to achieve a business goal.
The clients and work that we undertake: sharing our values with our prospective clients and living those values as we begin to work on new projects, gives them an insight into the organisation that First Consulting is. It helps them understand our approach to engagements, our drive and ability to cut through complexity and seek out the business value.
How we grow our people and business: it is essential for us that as we continue to grow in the UK and The Netherlands, we retain the culture that has made First Consulting so successful. As we look to bring in new talent into the organisation, we review how well they fit against our Core Values. This serves two purposes: one to ensure that we bring in people who will seamlessly integrate into the team, and two to ensure that the organisation is the right fit for the individual. We want people to really enjoy the type of work we do for our clients so that they thrive for our clients and our organisation.
Looking to the future
Building on its Core Values and ambitious plan, First Consulting is seeing strong growth in the UK and Netherlands as the firm continues to expand its client portfolio. "Having rapidly grown in the UK for a little over a year now, our Core Values have kept us true to the type of work we excel at and the bright individuals that we seek to make up our team. As we bring new team members on board, a consistent area of feedback is how they enjoyed meeting First Consulting members from the UK and Netherlands as part of the recruitment process. This is testament to us living our Core Values and recruiting like-minded individuals, who very quickly become part of the First Consulting family."
The director adds that the management consultancy is continuously on the lookout for new, bright talent. "Professionals that resonate with our Core Values and are seeking to work for an ambitious, rapidly growing company, are welcome to contact our recruitment team."
