Blue Matter is a very special place to work, grow, build a career, and forge life-long friendships with colleagues and clients. Over the years, we’ve written a lot about what makes Blue Matter so special, from our “People First” culture to our overall values. In this article, though, we want to focus on another aspect that we believe sets us apart from other strategic consultancies. If you’re a consultant who’s considering joining the Blue Matter team, then we’d like to share a bit about how we approach professional growth and career development.
It’s About Building Business Leaders
Many consulting firms have training programs that are designed to help team members become better consultants. All good consultants must know how to conduct research, interpret data, use analytical frameworks, think strategically, storyboard deliverables, and so on. Those are some of the fundamental skills of consulting.
At Blue Matter, we help consultants build those same skills. But we also go one step further, asking ourselves, “Why….to what end?” The easy answer is that it helps our team members provide the best guidance and support to our clients. But there is another exciting aspect to all of this: our ultimate goal is to help create the next generation of business leaders. And that requires more than analytical skills and storyboarding.
While you may start with mastering the fundamentals of consulting, your progression at Blue Matter will help you build the skillsets that will make you a better business leader. Overall, our philosophy is to help consulting team members learn to make good business decisions, be confident in communicating those decisions to others, and be highly effective in leading teams that put those decisions into action. That not only makes team members better consultants, but it also prepares them to succeed long-term, whether in consulting or consulting leadership, in the biopharma industry, or wherever their career takes them.
Having a great philosophy is one thing, but getting things done is another. So, how does Blue Matter actually put its philosophy into action? It involves three things:
- Blue Matter Academy
- Individualized Career Planning and Mentoring
- Career Flexibility and Entrepreneurial Mindset
Let’s explore each one.
Blue Matter Academy
Blue Matter Academy (BMA) is our internal learning and development (L&D) capability. This team is made up of top-notch experts in adult learning and instructional design. They also bring years of experience working within the life science industry, and their mission is to design programs that support the career development of all team members.
At Blue Matter, we have very comprehensive career progression training. As new consultants come into the firm, they receive training that is specifically tailored to the role they will be performing. As they progress in that role, additional training begins to prepare them for the next step: management. Once promoted to manager, the training then switches to help strengthen and solidify the skills that pertain to that role. All the while, team members have the opportunity to access training resources that will begin to prepare them for the next step, a leadership role. Each step in a team member’s career progression includes training to strengthen them in the current role, while helping them understand the expectations and requirements for the next. Our mission is to enable team members to succeed at every step in their Blue Matter journey.
BMA’s L&D team members collaborate with consulting leadership to develop these training programs. This ensures that they are true-to-life and relevant to the roles in question. The BMA is there alongside consulting team members every step of the way, helping to pave the road for a smooth career progression.
Individualized Career Planning and Mentoring
Career Coaches
BMA isn’t the only thing that stays alongside consulting team members. Their teammates do, too. When a new consultant comes aboard, they are assigned a Blue Matter Career Coach. The Career Coach helps the new team member think about their current role, as well as their current skill levels. Then, the Career Coach is responsible for making sure that the team member understands what resources are available to strengthen their skills and address any areas that need improvement.
The Career Coach is more than just a helping hand for professional development planning. The Coach provides a formal performance review twice per year, which is tied to our incentive compensation program. The coaches and consulting team members also meet regularly to discuss career goals, address any questions, and generally keep things on track. As a part of this, coaches work collaboratively with BMA to identify training programs that can address individual professional development goals as consultants progress in their careers.
Consulting Buddies
Sometimes, however, a consulting team member would rather speak with a peer, as opposed to a more senior team member. That’s why each consultant is also paired with a “Consulting Buddy” for the first few months. The Buddy is a peer level team member who has been at the firm a little longer and has wisdom to share. The Consulting Buddy is a very important resource for new Consultants and Senior Consultants.
Mentors
Consulting team members are also encouraged to get to know senior leaders across the firm. One thing that sets Blue Matter apart from other firms is the accessibility of senior leadership team members. Consultants at Blue Matter are empowered to get to know senior leaders and even request them as mentors. A Mentor goes beyond a Career Coach or Consulting Buddy, often helping a team member think through broader strategic questions about his or her job, career progression, and so on.
Through Career Coaches, Consulting Buddies, and Mentors, we make sure that every team member is surrounded and supported by a wide range of colleagues who are all pulling for them and helping them succeed.
Career Flexibility and Entrepreneurial Mindset
Like most other consultancies, Blue Matter offers a well-defined career path that includes Consultant ranks, Manager ranks, Principal ranks, and Partners. However, “well-defined” does not mean “rigid.” We encourage team members to explore the many different specialties within our business, which can include things like market access, digital therapeutics, transaction support, and so on. We don’t want anyone to feel pigeon-holed into one or two specific project types.
We also encourage entrepreneurial thinking. While the majority of consultants will progress through the consulting career path, some will forge new paths based on their own passions. Our “People First” culture balances individuals’ career aspirations with the needs of the business. So, if (for example) you have an idea for a new offering or service line, then you might have the opportunity develop it and lead it. If your idea is in line with our business goals and your expertise, then you’re encouraged to build the business case for it and share it with the leadership. You might be able to turn your idea into reality at Blue Matter!
Overall, we hope this article has shared with you a bit about the things that make Blue Matter different. If you’re interested in taking the next step in our career development, then check out our Careers page and learn more!
