Based on a recent client conversation, I wanted to summarize my take on a common blocker to OKRs:...
Hola!
I am Alexander, an OKR implementation consultant and I've joined Wave Nine in its early stage. Before being able to work hands-on on various international projects, I started as a consulting trainee in Europe, supporting the endeavor to expand into this market by helping companies achieve radical clarity and increased alignment through the OKR methodology.
If you just finished your bachelor’s degree or are at the end of your master’s and are searching for a challenge, a young, driven, and international team, then you might want to check out our new Consulting trainee position!
In this article, I want to give you an impression of what you can expect from your time with Wave Nine.
Why deciding on the right trainee program is key for your career
Undoubtedly, a traineeship can be a setting stone for the course of your professional life since you are able to gather meaningful experiences and learn and improve core skills through it. Therefore, it goes without saying, that you should consider your options carefully and think about important questions, such as:
- What are the core skills I want to acquire?
- Which environment do I want to be exposed to?
- What opportunities must I be provided with to feel accomplished by the end of the traineeship?
We, at Wave Nine, emphasize a company culture of continuous learning and improvement, which helps every individual employee to evolve over time – personally and professionally.
The author - Alexander Mussler - at Wave Nine's company offsite near San Diego, California, USA in 2022.
My Intention before the traineeship
Before starting the trainee program with Wave Nine, I thought about my personal goals for the upcoming months. My main objective was to gather experience in management consulting, especially goal orientation and strategy advisory for tech companies in and around Silicon Valley. I was interested in the project management effort that is part of holistic OKR implementation and change management projects for companies with 50, 500, or 5000+ employees and wanted exposure to an international working environment to connect with inspirational, motivated, and driven colleagues around the world. Furthermore, as a Start-up enthusiast, I was inclined by the thought of joining a company in its early growth phase and therefore be able to have an impact through my daily work.
My Experience as a trainee at Wave Nine
Preparation - Before you stand on the board, you must learn how to swim first
Before beginning my time with my colleagues at Wave Nine, we carefully planned out a timeline with mutually expected sub-achievements. It consisted of milestones such as:
“Shadow the first Executive meeting in Week x”;
“Familiarize yourself with the certification course material by week x”;
“Co-Facilitate your first Workshop in week x”;
“Run your own client meeting in week x”;
The expectations on my delivery abilities were high, and I had to adapt and get going fast. This reflects one of our core mottos: “Shoot for the moon; hit the stars”. This approach helps us think a little higher, a little better, to exceed the most probable result and end up with amazing outcomes. After some time, this was engrained in my work approach and deserted into other parts of my day, so I would be more aspirational in my personal goal setting as well.
Through proper, elaborate guidance, I was able to learn quickly, encouraged to put it into practice, to a point, where I understood the business thoroughly and intertwine it with my prior experience and skills so that I could provide the best possible service for our clients and partners.
The scope of work - While on the water, watch out for wind, waves, and weather
It’s easy to neglect all the aspects besides the actual, operational part of working as an OKR consultant. The major part is to sit down with clients, discuss their implementation program, walk them through the next steps and facilitate workshops that bring clarity, understanding, and alignment into teams, departments, and whole companies.
But, obviously, there is so much more that you must consider to be an amazing consulting trainee.
Prepping E-Mails prior to meetings, reviewing PowerPoint slide decks, working with potential clients, and networking on Linked-In; are some of the many sub-tasks that enable you to learn the holistic approach to being a great professional.
My work focused on the delivery aspect of the business, which means face-to-face, client-oriented work. I improved my abilities on how to facilitate workshops, certification classes and posed as a general first point of contact for multiple clients. All of that helped me improve my overall project management and communication skills, time management and task prioritization. Additionally, it goes without saying that being able to properly moderate a workshop and navigate clients through hour-long sessions without them falling asleep is a kickass ability that will highly increase your human capital.
Connecting and working with project managers and strategists from various customers and being given insight into all sorts of firms with different cultures, organizational structures, industries, and locations, was the most interesting part for me and enabled me to determine my personal preferences.
Conclusion? – Step on a board and join!
To sum it up, my traineeship was very profitable for my professional development for a variety of reasons:
- I was encouraged to take initiative action in my daily work
- I could take over responsibility in client projects and grow simultaneously with my tasks
- Throughout the time, I met interesting and extremely talented colleagues and was able to connect with them on a personal level as well (For ex.: our offsite in California), where I could pick up valuable tips and tricks for my work and be part of a supportive team
- I received an inside view into a competitive industry and learn from THE experts in the OKR methodology
All in all, there was not a single day I did not feel achieved being part of Wave Nine and I can recommend anyone who is eager to build meaningful connections and high-level skills to apply and join us!
After the traineeship
Continuous improvement is key – therefore, your time with Wave Nine does not have to end after your traineeship. We are always interested in filling our vacancies with great performing people, even after your traineeship. That means that you can utilize all the skills and experiences you have gathered over the course of time and allocate them to practical client work in one of our core markets and be part of our international team.
