Acquis Consulting Group
Following a one-year hiatus and a couple of No. 13 Best Small
Firms to Work For finishes in 2014 and 2012, New York-based
Acquis Consulting Group is back this year with a vengeance—
climbing to No. 4 on this year’s survey.
WHAT IMPACT DO YOU
THINK BEING A BEST
SMALL FIRM TO WORK
As an example of People First,
Locke points to a recent firm-wide
trip to Bermuda to celebrate the
firm’s growth. “We believe if you
lead with good practices, good outcomes will bear out,” Locke says.
FOR HAS ON THE FIRM?
EMPLOYEES? CLIENTS?
Doug Locke, a Partner at Acquis
says the positive team environment
is paying dividends and it comes
from Acquis’ ‘People First’ mantra,
interesting projects, performance
transparency, and a commitment
from the entire team to create a great
work environment. “I am so proud of
our incredible Leadership Team and
our colleagues. People First thinking
is deeply ingrained into each of us at
this point. When we receive external
acknowledgments, we believe them
to be outcomes of the vigil we maintain improving our culture.”
It’s that commitment to people
that’s creating tremendous outcomes,
he says. “We think about our people and clients in everything we do.
While it’s easy to assume that good
people will drive positive outcomes
via good intentions, we think the real
trick is to create adaptive structures
that distribute ownership.
The firm’s efforts to drive partnership and ownership through creative
client work drive these outcomes,
he says. “Our theory is if we are
creative in the market and drive
meaningful work that our clients
find compelling, it stands to reason
our client partners are going to be
engaged and our colleagues will
benefit from the experience,” Locke
says. “Add some emerging growth
areas being curated for the future
leaders of Acquis, and we feel like
we have a winning recipe.”
LOCKE: “The Best Firms recognition serves as a validation of success in our closely held leadership
and teaming efforts. Starting with
the most important nuances, it
signifies to all colleagues that we
are collectively fighting each day
to make Acquis a better place to
learn and grow. It validates to client partners, prospective clients,
and recruits that we are attentive to needs and good business
practices. It is a source of pride
and affirmation.”
by Acquis leaders are also on the
horizon, Locke says. “It’s going to
be a busy time and it will test our
constitution, he says. “We have
become more nimble than we were
in the past, which allows us to capitalize on market needs and support
clients in innovative ways.”
Speaking of external acknowledgment, it’s been a pretty good run
for Acquis. Earlier this year, they
were also named one of Consulting
magazine’s Seven Small Jewels.
That growth includes expanding
the office in New York and targeting
important milestones in London and
San Francisco. New partnerships
and adjacent companies supported
For example, Locke says Acquis
is finding ways to create digital
assets and new tools to help clients
with longstanding problems. “We
have to deliver more than successful
projects to compete, we are working
to drive lasting outcomes.”
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