Significant Career Lesson From A Consultant At Boston Consulting Group
Tripp, a Boston Consulting Group consultant, learned that "asking for help" is crucial for success, contrary to initial beliefs about needing to appear entirely self-sufficient. This resourcefulness, exemplified by utilizing BCG's dedicated help Slack channel, enabled career advancement and continues to be a valuable strategy.
Problem-Solving, Teamwork, Communication, Overcoming Challenges, Resourcefulness
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Tripp Twyman
Consultant
Boston Consulting Group
University of Arizona
University of Southern California | Masters of Accounting
Business & Related, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Accounting
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Consulting
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Asking for help is a valuable resource and crucial for success. Tripp emphasizes that it's more important to be resourceful and utilize available resources, including people, rather than solely relying on individual capabilities.
2. BCG utilizes collaborative tools like Slack channels to foster a culture of seeking and providing help among colleagues. This highlights the importance of teamwork and knowledge sharing in a consulting environment.
3. Tripp's career progression at BCG demonstrates the effectiveness of asking for help. He attributes his success and promotions to actively seeking assistance from others, suggesting that collaboration is key to advancement within the firm and possibly the broader consulting field.
Transcript
What is one lesson that you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
I think for me, it's the value of asking for help. I came into consulting thinking I needed to prove that I was big, bad, smart, and capable. What I learned was that they didn't really care about that.
It's true, you need to be those things, but what you really need to be is resourceful. Using your resources means asking for help. If you're going to do it well, you can use your resources by accessing tools and databases.
But a lot of the time, you're going to get the best help by asking other human beings. They can understand what you're looking for, ask questions, and share their own experiences or expertise to help you find the answer.
At BCG, we had a Slack channel dedicated to asking for help. Everyone on the West Coast was in it, and other channels discussed different topics. But in this help channel, if anyone had a question or an unfamiliar problem, they would post something like, "Hey, has anybody ever done this before?"
People would respond, "Oh yeah, I've done this, check this out," or "Oh yeah, have you tried this?" It's a great way to get support for challenging questions.
So, I would say asking for help is the reason I was able to stay at BCG and get promoted, because I leaned on other people. I'm definitely continuing that.
Advizer Personal Links
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tripptwyman/, [career coaching site coming soon]