Member Spotlight: Pranavii Praba— Consulting Team Lead
Pranavii Praba is currently attending the University of Waterloo where she is in her 4B term of studying Accounting and Finance. At 180 Degrees Consulting she has been a Consulting Team Lead for four months helping guide our team as we work on projects for NPOs.
- Please share a brief introduction of yourself with one fun fact.
Hello, my name is Pranavii and I am currently in my fourth year at the University of Waterloo in the Accounting and Financial Management program. I have always been someone who has been passionate about working with non-profit organizations and have volunteered my time as a research assistant with many local organizations. 180 Degrees Consulting provided me to merge my passion with the knowledge I have acquired as an Accounting and Finance student. In my free time I love traveling and experiencing new cultures through food and dining experiences. My favourite part of traveling is to come back home and test out some of the recipes that I was able to taste while on vacation.
2. As a Consulting Team Lead at 180 Degrees Consulting Waterloo, what are some of your responsibilities?
As a team lead at 180 Degrees Consulting Waterloo my primary responsibility is to lead a group of six consultants in solving a problem presented to us by our client. This task includes scheduling weekly meetings and reviewing their work. I will then present these tasks to the directors to ensure that we are on the right track. Next, I am responsible for all communication that occurs between 180 Degrees Consulting and the client. I am responsible for having bi-weekly meetings with the client to communicate our progress and present any findings. Finally, I am responsible for providing my team with feedback in order to present the client with the highest quality deliverable.
3. What do you think are the most important skills for success in your role?
The three most important skills that are required to succeed in this role are leadership, communication and technical expertise. Leadership is extremely important as the team lead needs to motivate the consultants by inspiring confidence within them. For many of them this is their first time participating in a consulting project and so they do not have the necessary experience to guide themselves. As a team lead tasks need to be delegated effectively and guidance needs to be given to consultants. Next, communication is essential as information needs to be clearly given to the consultants as well as the client. Communication also includes active listening which is required when speaking to a client. Finally, technical expertise facilitates the review process when as a team lead you are analyzing the consultants work.
4. What are some notable highlights during your time with us?
The most notable experience I had during my time with 180 Degrees Consulting was my first client meeting. I was extremely nervous to speak to the client on my own however, after preparing an agenda and running through my content with the directors I felt a lot more confident. Then during the actual client meeting I was able to clearly understand their feedback and communicate it to the consultants on my team. Throughout the term it was very exciting seeing the progress my team and I were making with the client in terms of providing them with solutions to their problems and our relationship with them.
5. How would you describe the team culture at 180 Degrees Consulting?
The team culture at 180 Degrees Consulting is extremely supportive and community-oriented. I was always able to approach the directors with any questions and they were more than happy to set up meetings with me and address the issues I was facing. Furthermore, they were actively checking up on our progress which enabled me to review my work regularly. Also, they often attended client meetings as well to provide me with any extra support by taking notes. This supportive team environment made me feel extremely comfortable in the role by making it an environment where I was able to constantly learn new things.
6. How do you see this role helping you with your career goals?
My career goal is to enter the consulting industry so, the skills and experiences I have gained at 180 Degrees Consulting directly relates to this. I am now able to clearly understand and apply the process required to lead a team in a consulting project. Furthermore, I am able to effectively communicate with clients to present my ideas and apply their feedback. I am also able to better address their questions during meetings as well. Finally, I can better thrive in a fast paced environment which will allow me to excel in my future career goals.
