For those of us who have served in the military, camaraderie is the key ingredient to its way of life and what makes the military so special. The constant rotation in duty stations and regular deployments requires that a culture is in place to always provide military members a sense of belonging wherever they go. The tight knitted bond, formed through countless hours working side-by-side in life threatening environments, allows its members to achieve unparalleled success beyond the capability of any one person. A perfect example is my deployment to Afghanistan. I was deployed to a unit I had never worked with before to do a job I had never done before, and the responsibilities were daunting. But through our shared experience, the team and I became a family away from home, and that bond empowered me to succeed at my tasks.
Does Teamwork Exist in the Private Sector?
That same camaraderie is hard to replicate in the private sector, and although most organizations speak of teamwork and close relationships, it is often never putting it into practice. But of course, there are exceptions. And one of them is undoubtedly SEI. At SEI, collaboration is the driving force of our entire operating model. We hire only the best consultants through the “gauntlet” and empower them to succeed through a collaborative culture that encompasses our entire ecosystem.
Each consultant is immersed in the culture from day one at SEI and immediately becomes part of the family. When I joined SEI in January, the team at my current engagement took time out of their busy schedule to welcome me in and ensure I had the right knowledge and tools to succeed. After an initial meeting to learn more about each other and our backgrounds, the team provided me with valuable insights to ensure I understood the client’s business model, culture, processes, and what I could do to add true value to the engagement. In addition, an SEI consultant from another office willingly trained me on Agile project management methodology on his own time after a full day of work. Also, it should be noted, all of this took place prior to me even starting at the engagement. This truly embodies the essence of the EPIC model and what makes SEI and its culture so powerful, allowing us to deliver tremendous value to our clients.
Camaraderie for the Long Haul
The esprit de corps carries on throughout your career at SEI. Although I have only been part of the family for a short amount of time, I have leveraged other consultant’s knowledge and experience to help me solve complex problems that have far reaching impact for my client. Similar to the military, this would not have been possible without a common devotion to each other’s success. When I ask veteran SEI consultants what they love about SEI after all these years, the answer always comes back to the camaraderie. This is a proven ingredient to our long lasting success. Join us and see for yourself.
