A few months ago, I completed 15 years in Deloitte. That’s odd for most of my peers and there are only a few (of my age, from my college cohort) who spent so many years in a single organization. Every time I catch up with an old friend or an ex-colleague, I get asked – “so, do you plan to retire from Deloitte?” I don’t know. I didn’t plan this stint consciously. The journey has been interesting enough to keep me in the organization.
When I reflected on the big reasons that ultimately made me stick to Deloitte, I found 7 of them. They are:
- Deloitte’s organization philosophy: Irrespective of the business or the function or the region, Deloitte truly demonstrates some strong values (shared values) which are centred around respect, taking care of each other, inclusion and trust. Over the years, as I zoom out to dwell a bit on various attributes of Deloitte that I got to see/experience, these attributes often stand out for me. Of course, not everyone literally in the organization exudes that philosophy. There will be exceptions. But many do… or at least many I have come across in my journey did.
- My projects: I joined Deloitte in a research team, where I spent almost 9 and a half years. The projects in this team were not time-consuming ones but their time span was mostly 2 weeks to 4 weeks. This gave me (and my team) a good window to get feedback on our work fairly quickly, and it also helped us build knowledge and insights on any topic in some short bursts. I agree, that the scope to delve deep into a topic was very less but over time, some repeatable projects around a few recurring topics made up for it. My 2nd job too had projects that had a span of 6 weeks to 8 weeks; and my current role has some fluid dynamics where the turnaround time for my deliverables ranges from 2 hours to 2 months, depending on the complexity. But broadly, the just-in-time feedback continues to shape my perspectives about work a lot.
- The Leadership: A significant common thread across all my projects and roles is that the feedback providers (my stakeholders) have always been very senior leaders – Partners and Managing Directors. While the effort to meet their expectations polished my skills, their feedback often helped me mature as a professional and develop abilities such as strategic thinking, taking mild risks etc. I have been fortunate to work with some amazing Leaders and I picked many qualities from them, subconsciously.
- Learning opportunities: The biggest perk of working in Deloitte is – a platter of learning opportunities (and platforms). One only needs to intentionally carve time out of his/her busy schedule to invest in learning; there is a heap of learning programs one can sign up for every day, week and month. And beyond the traditional learning programs, the organization also weaves in many career development opportunities/tracks for high-performing professionals using the framework of ‘Education’, ‘Experience’ and ‘Exposure‘. Anyone with a learner’s mindset can thrive and flourish a lot in Deloitte.
- Mobility opportunities: Deloitte is both – a big world and a small world. Big because if you are looking for a change, there is always an interesting opportunity in some corner of the Deloitte ecosystem that can come very close to what you are looking for. Small – because you will end up meeting someone you know as you explore that opportunity. Or at the very least, someone you know will help you try your best to pursue that opportunity. When I moved between domains and roles, the organization facilitated mobility without placing any premium on ‘past relevant experience’. Network (social currency), the right attitude and the ability to learn quickly can get you to new opportunities (if you are a high performer and have good teaming skills). If you move into a new team or role you are interested in (even without much past experience in that domain), most leaders give you time to ramp up and also lend a helping hand with a “let’s figure it out together” attitude.
- Work – life integration: In my 15 years in Deloitte, there would have been only 4-5 instances when I had to work on a weekend to meet a deadline. I have not come across any leader or manager who expects something to be done over the weekend or on any personal time-off days. The organization truly believes in unplugging, on weekends/holidays and also vocally discourages professionals from working on those days. On weekdays, there are busy schedules and a few stretch days at times but then, there are also lean days sometimes and the organization doesn’t expect professionals to stay logged in until closing work hours on such days. The organization ditched the word “work-life balance” many years ago.
- Culture: The last aspect, which had some good influence on me is the broader culture, which in a way, is the sum of all of the above and also things beyond them. While I see that each small team has its own culture, as set by team leaders and managers, there is an invisible fabric of a global culture that permeates across all businesses and teams. There is a “Deloitte way of doing things”, in multiple aspects – be it in people interactions, travel experiences, time management, communication of expectations, client service, people engagement programs, infrastructure, and many more. And that Deloitte way is about creating “moments that matter”.
When I started out at Deloitte, I thought I might last for a maximum of 5 years there. But then, the organization and the Leaders, had other plans for me as I progressed in my roles. After 15 years, somehow I feel that the journey has just begun.