#6 : Check the Consultant Hat at the Door

On my fifth week on the job I walked out to my car with one of the men that was on my project team. We made small talk about both being Aggies and how magical Aggieland was, the changes that had occurred, and how football and Kyle Field continue to impress new and old Aggies. He then asked about my internship and how it was all going. He said he had been an original from Andersen consulting which left me a shocked because I thought for the first five weeks that he was an Accenture employee. After this run in, I realized there were even more people on my team who I didn’t know who their employer was. I began looking up people on my address book to see who was who for my own personal curiosity but I also respected my project leaders for creating a team without titles and separation.

During my final interview with my supervisor I pointed out this observation and she seemed very pleased. As a senior manager she said one of the most important things to do when you walk in the door is check your contractor hat, you are now a part of one team to serve the client. In consulting I knew you worked on teams often, which is one of the factors that attracted me towards the career, but I didn’t know how it would play out. I didn't realize how closely you work with the client on certain projects and how much I would assimilate into the culture of the client. I believe my project had very good leadership and overall team which created a very collaborative culture for the team and broke down silos between contractors and employees.

Going back to school and continuing on in my career it is important to realize what hats I put on when I walk in a room. My sister is going to be in Mays in the fall and I need to watch the motherly hat I put on when I interact with her. I will be leading SUMMIT this upcoming school year and it is important to check my hat where I put a lot of pressure on myself and not rely on my team hat when I lead meetings of plan for the conference. These are two hats I have identified for the upcoming semester and I plan on continuing to recognized the hats I put on as I move into my final spring semester and the beginning of my career. Checking my hats at any metaphorical door I go through will make me a better leader, follower, and team member.

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