Micha Sigloch
| education | banking apprenticeship, degree in business administration (Augsburg University), MBA (University of Dayton, Ohio) |
| experience | around fifteen years (two at Consileon) including apprenticeship |
| entry as | senior project manager |
Much as I love my profession, I was no longer happy at my previous employer. Despite a shortage of manpower, the company sold one project after the other. Leadership was not transparent and suffered from high fluctuation. Hence I decided to change to a smaller firm where I would still have a rapport with my boss. I evaluated many potential employers. Some set unreasonable sales targets. Others offered incredibly unprofessional ratios between basic salary and variable compensation.
Even at my first job interview with Consileon, I noticed this company was different. My contract’s terms and conditions were straightforward. I was sitting opposite an entrepreneur who felt responsible for his staff. I was sure I would be able to balance my professional aspirations with my family obligations (my wife and I have four children) here. In the end, the human factor was decisive, and my gut feeling proved right. No matter how difficult a project turned out, my boss always stood behind me.
Although I was offered a higher position, I joined the company as senior project manager because I think it is important that we have sufficient sales and execution capacity. My goal is to establish Consileon as a competent consultancy in capital markets, the industry I specialize in.
Our corporate culture definitely suits me. Even on the executive floor, people are down-to-earth. As our senior managers work on projects, too, they are firmly rooted in reality. Every six weeks, our company meeting provides an opportunity to talk shop or present project outcomes, after which we have dinner and chat. Those moments make us feel like a team despite the fact that we mostly work in different places.
It is the details, too, that count. A bottle of wine as a birthday present is only a small expense to a company, but is always well received as a token of appreciation. In that respect, Consileon is probably the nicest place to work in our industry.
Consileon is not, however, a jet engine to boost your career in consulting – we are not that famous yet. Our employees want to grow with us. To that end, we empower them to make decisions far beyond what would be permissible in a large organization. If you value creative freedom, Consileon is an excellent choice. But if you prefer to burn the midnight oil at a major management consulting firm for two years and then change to a blue-chip company, you will fare better there.
(March 2008)
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