grosse hornke approached me as they thought I’d be a good fit and, after two interviews, I got an invitation to a team event where I had the opportunity to meet my future colleagues. They were super cool and told me a lot about the company and their projects. I particularly liked their openness. They provided me a realistic picture of the requirements right from the start. That gave me a feeling of security.
I’m a Consultant, focusing on IT project management.
I really like that I get a lot of responsibility. Recently, for example, I managed a major IT hardware project. We equipped a good 6,000 employees from our client’s company with new laptops, replaced the desktop computers and equipped the offices with docking stations to support more flexible, open plan working practices. My job was to manage all the tasks with a service provider and the logistics and the communication with the department heads. Despite careful planning, with most projects there are challenges that arise. Currently, for example, there are delivery problems due to the no-covid policy in China which makes things challenging. But it always works out in the end, and the joy that everything worked out in the end will prevail and we’ll have made a lot of people happy.
The next big topic for me is privileged access management. Very roughly, it’s about giving admins exclusive permissions to access databases and servers. This process is associated with compliance issues, among other things. All in all, this will be another multifaceted, interesting project.
I think the main challenge is that many employees cling to the things they are used to. They want as little change as possible. Take the laptops example from above – we first had to convince many users of the advantages because they were so used to working on desktops.
I wanted to be a soccer manager. I knew early on that I wouldn’t make it as a professional player. But it was fun to put together my dream team in my mind. I thought about studying sports management. However, it would have been difficult to make a career in a club without a professional career. I then decided to study economics and wavered between two career goals: investment banking or consulting. During my internships, I realized that I wasn’t keen on working in the same place all the time, always repeating the same tasks. Consulting is more versatile. Every project, every client is different.
The most important thing I took away from my studies: You learn to familiarize yourself with new topics quickly. My learning speed increased significantly from the first to the last semester. As a consultant, I benefit a lot from this. In our job, a week for familiarization with a new project is a lot.
No matter how big the challenge seems, you must never think, “This is too big for me.” With enough ambition and with helpful colleagues, you can do anything.
Tim on a hiking tour in the Alps on the mountain Hochgrat in 2021
At Lake Lucerne, between two mountain stages on the way to Italy in spring 2022
After work, I like to go cycling or hiking. In the spring, I cycled from Lake Constance (in Southern Germany) to Italy.
“How to Win Friends” by Dale Carnegie. A fantastic book from which really everyone can take away something.
Sober analysis, strategy and KPIs – that’s what many people associate with consulting. A one-sided image, says our colleague Mazino. “Taking people with you” is what he sees as an important part of his job as a consultant.
“No risk, no fun” or excessive caution? The risk culture shapes the way management and staff behave in projects. How to promote a healthy approach to project risk.
Inspiring goals that motivate your team to top performance: This is what the agile management method OKR promises.
To get off to a successful start, everyone needs to internalize the basics.
Perseverance is required – because the principles cannot be applied intuitively.
2021 Grosse-Hornke Private Consult