The Consilium Edge: Year Two

Developing and launching a bespoke personal and professional development programme is a huge achievement for a small professional services firm. The proof, however, is in what happens next as Finance and Operations Director Susan Webb explains as we review year one of The Consilium Edge.

Growing the next generation of business advisors

In 2023, Consilium set out to create our own bespoke internal personal and professional development programme. The objective was clear: to create a programme to prepare experienced team members for management positions. Based upon our core values – Advice, Integrity, Teamwork, and Progressive – the programme was aimed to equip colleagues with the skills and knowledge to become the next generation of business advisors, and gain a competitive edge.

To fill the gap in our training, we worked with Ibis Ideas, a London-based global consulting firm, to create a 2-year programme – The Consilium Edge. The training was launched in April 2024 and 12 months later, I’m reflecting on the journey and what lies ahead.

Tangible benefits and personal growth

The first cohort of Consilium Edge students is halfway through the programme. For intake one, the focus has been on developing skills for effective people, project, and client management in professional services. This is intended to equip middle managers with the capabilities to progress in their respective career paths and add value for clients.

The results from year one have exceeded our expectations. Across the cohort, we have seen great progress, including:

• Team members are successfully taking on more departmental responsibilities;
• Colleagues are proactively moving on to bigger and more complex projects and clients;
• Enhanced intra-departmental working;
• Greater confidence in mentoring and developing their teams; and
• Several promotions.

Finding new ways to add value for our clients

Feedback from participants has highlighted how they are benefitting from The Consilium Edge personally. Many consider themselves more confident in dealing with clients and now possess a greater awareness of ways to find added value for clients.

Here are just a few quotes from our first-year participants:

“After the sessions, I always have more confidence dealing with clients and clarity about everything we can help clients with, rather than just in my area of specialism.”

“I think it is good to step away from work and think about our progression and what we want from our careers.”

“I really enjoy how interactive it has been, and the insights given by Partners and Directors. They are very relatable to our career paths and the challenges to overcome as business advisors.”

Working as a business, not just a team

For a busy professional services firm like Consilium, it can be easy for colleagues to become blinkered to what is happening in other teams. One of the big advantages of the Consilium Edge has been the enhanced intra-departmental working.

Participants are now much more engaged in the work of colleagues from other teams and more vested in the progress of all departments, and not just their own. There is a greater sense of camaraderie and strong bonds forming across different teams.  

Even with a year of training remaining for cohort one, I can already see that participants are becoming more rounded business advisors.

The Consilium Edge: Year Two

It is with great excitement that we launch the next edition of The Consilium Edge, this time focused on experienced managers up to the Director level. We will continue to work with our excellent course facilitator, Joanna Keeling, as we roll out training to the second cohort.

This time around, our focus will be on developing their skills as business leaders and helping them on the pathway to Partnership. Often, the higher someone progresses within professional services, the less time they have to work on themselves. Managing teams and supporting the career progression of those around them can come at the expense of personal and professional development.

With all these developments and opportunities, I can’t wait to see what the next 12 months of The Consilium Edge bring.

Learn more about The Consilium Edge and career opportunities with Consilium Chartered Accountants.

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