Misses the Mark - Senior Consultant Clerestory Consulting Employee Review

The people at Clerestory are the best! They are smart, creative, driven, and fun to work with. Joining Clerestory is like joining a work family. The firm has a very close-knit culture with people that celebrate each other's successes at work and outside of work. The organization structure is flat. That does not mean there aren't different staff levels or opportunities for growth and promotion. It means that everybody rolls up their sleeves, willingly helps each other, and does the work that is needed. For a less experienced consultant, the flat structure can mean exposure to Clerestory and client leadership and executives, and for more experienced people it means you do more than oversee and manage work. The diversity of client industries and types of projects provide a lot of variety and different staffing opportunities, and a focus on the Midwest keeps out of town travel to client locations manageable. And, Clerestory consultants are not evaluated on billable hours or utilization, and are not penalized for being on the bench between assignments. In the last few years, Clerestory has made a significant investment in internal L&D. Two senior leadership roles are dedicated to the creation and maintenance of the consultant training curriculum, methods, playbooks, tools, deliverable examples, etc.

Clerestory provides an excellent, unique consulting opportunity, but it is still consulting. The work, regardless of all the pros that Clerestory offers, is not for everyone. Ability to work at a fast pace, adaptability, self-motivation, openness to feedback, and attention to detail are required.

Clerestory has a flat management structure, meaning every member of a project team is given responsibility over deliverables or work streams. This gives less experienced consultants opportunities to assume leadership and make real contributions to project work. It also means more experienced consultants and leaders remain involved in tactical work. Everyone pitches in across every phase of a project to deliver results. The hands-on mentality and mutual accountability are reflective of the firm's culture. I've become good friends with many of my colleagues--across staff classes. The firm regularly plans parties and events to build community and celebrate one another's successes. That culture may not be for everyone, but I appreciate knowing that I'm valued by the firm and that I work with people I trust. Promotions are based on performance, not tenure. Strong performers get raises, bonuses, and promotions. I've received all three in the past 6 months (as well as across prior years). Additionally, the flat structure means you can showcase your skills and interests across multiple projects, giving you the chance to demonstrate your value to leadership. I've seen people who are between projects ("on the bench") get promoted because of the valuable internal work they led.

There's been a recent push for additional resources on career development and coaching. The progress made with the career development review cycle and expectations has been great. Still, there are inconsistencies in the level of feedback that's given from one senior leader to the next. You may get a ton of constructive feedback and coaching from one senior leader, then get staffed with a different leader who doesn't emphasize that nearly enough.