At TAG, there’s plenty of opportunity to grow as a consultant. One possible career path is becoming a team manager who monitors the quality of projects and offers support to consultants. But how can you advance towards the role of team manager as a consultant? And what exactly are its tasks? Jens, one of TAG’s first team managers, gladly clarifies.
Hello Jens, thanks for taking the time to talk about your role as team manager. When did you start working at TAG and how did you grow into the role?
‘Actually, I joined TAG in 2019 after working in various management roles in very technical environments related to industrial asset management. I became part of the consultant team. Very soon, we noticed that we needed someone to represent our company’s values and consultants to the client. I was eager to take up that responsibility and so became one of its first team managers. We still had to figure out what that role meant then. Now, handy templates and clear guidelines are available due to our quality-driven and pragmatic approach to defining the role.’
What does the role of a team manager entail today?
‘My responsibilities as a team manager are twofold. On the hand, I am the single point of contact for clients, making sure that the service delivery and quality of a project is up to standards. Do they need additional resources or manpower? Then they contact me. On the other hand, I manage the consultants executing those projects. I check in with them regularly to see how their project is going and if they need help with anything. Because I’m closely familiar with the business infrastructure and methods of their clients, I can offer them highly specific advice. Helping clients and colleagues improve themselves through honest and clear feedback, that’s the main goal, for any consultant at TAG.’
How do you grow towards a team manager role as a TAG consultant?
‘To become a team manager, you first need to build up considerable experience as a consultant. You’re the flag bearer of TAG, so your soft and hard skills need to be on point. That means embodying TAG’s values, such as quality, pragmatism and customer-centricity, and being successful in your projects. Do you have leadership potential? Then you’ll be able to start out as an apprentice team manager. At first, you’ll manage one to two consultants, but over the course of a year, as you get familiar with the role’s workflow, you’ll be assigned additional consultants. That’s the great thing about TAG. If you prove you can do more, they’ll give you the opportunity to do so.’
What do you love about the role of team manager?
‘The type of projects that TAG does, is hardly feasible to be tackled by one person. It demands collaboration, with clients and consultants. As a team manager, you have to understand the client, think along with them and connect them with the right talent in your team. Providing TAG consultants with the opportunity to further develop themselves and achieve even greater results is what I personally love most about this job. Meritocracy is an essential part of the TAG DNA which you, as a team manager, help enable.’
Is being a TAG manager the final stop in the TAG career line or are there further growing opportunities?
‘At TAG, there’s always a next challenge. Those who are highly ambitious can become a partner and help the company grow as part of senior management. I have those ambitions myself and hopefully we can have an interview on that in the future.’
The future at TAG is clearly looking promising. Thanks for the interview, Jens, and the best of luck with your future endeavours.
Looking to start a career in consultancy? Or do you want to further your consultancy skills in a dynamic environment with plenty of opportunities for growth?
