Three years and counting

My journey with Partners in Performance started almost four years ago. I was working in a mining environment on the operations side and realised that I was interested in business improvement. I looked at the people who were doing that in my company as the people doing the cool, interesting stuff. I wanted to be making the improvements happen, rather than watching from the outside.

A friend of mine had been working here for about a year and when he heard I was looking for a role in BI, he called me (from Spain while on an engagement there). We talked for an hour and by the end of that conversation, I was convinced that Partners in Performance was the place for me.

On my very first engagement, I knew I had made the right decision in joining the firm. I was working on site alongside the client, helping them to change their behaviour and environment and seeing the results. I realised then and there, that this is what I love doing.

Since I joined Partners in Performance, I’ve seen some incredible things while travelling around Africa for work. My favourite engagements have been those where we get to spend a lot of time with the client and it starts to feel like we’re a part of their team. It’s hard work, but you get to see the results firsthand and know that you have made a huge difference for the client and the people you work with. To leave an engagement knowing you have changed the client’s life is incredibly satisfying.

Using feedback to Unleash Potential

To be able to have that sort of impact for a client, you have to be very specific on the how – how you’re going to get those results. This is what the company is great at. When we say we’re all about Unleashing Potential, that’s not just a corporate tagline – we actually live it. Everyone at Partners in Performance is very open to feedback, and we are very specific in saying “this is what you need to work on, and this is how you can work on this in the next week”.

This approach to feedback also helps the firm grow and develop our people. My colleagues understand the importance of giving clear and useful feedback, and then devising a plan to put it into action. Specific feedback is so helpful because it lets you know what to work on, and then your development leader can help you find the right opportunities to improve in that area. You grow three times as much and three times as quickly with that approach.

An inclusive network of staff at Partners in Performance

In every engagement I’ve done, I’ve worked with a different team of consultants and I’ve always left the engagement having made new friends. Especially as a woman working in heavy industry, it’s been amazing to work with other female consultants who are open and supportive, who are passionate about the same things as me. Thanks to Partners in Performance, I now have a network of like-minded people who I can talk to about long-term goals and where I want to move in my career.

I’ve noticed a big push to improve diversity across the board at the company. At one of Africa’s recent training days in the office, we called in some successful females in high-powered consulting and corporate roles to share their experiences and how they’ve dealt with some of the career challenges that women face. The great thing was that it involved male colleagues in the conversation, who were experiencing many similar challenges. I think inclusiveness is so important on the diversity journey. By including everyone in the conversation, we’re able to understand the different challenges we all face and we’re better able to support each other, regardless of gender or race or whatever background we have.

Creating a work-life that works for you

The firm is serious about fixing these challenges and giving space for us to create the sort of work-life they want. On a personal level, I’ve been a part of many engagements away from home and recently decided to shift my focus to my family. I had a conversation with one of the directors in Africa, who was very open in figuring out how to make working at Partners in Performance fit in with my personal goals.

Following that conversation, the firm gave me the opportunity to work from home in a quality assurance role. My job has been to support new engagements and help teams understand how we apply our internal tools and methodologies. More recently, I’ve moved into a new role as Staffing Manager. It’s been really satisfying watching our Africa practice grow.

As we secure more local work closer to home, I’ll look forward to move back into the consulting side. I can’t explain the incredible feeling of being on an engagement site with hardworking people who are all there to help the client realise and unlock their potential. Getting to work with other people who share that passion, that’s what I love.