We Are Not Programmed to Know Everything and Have All the Answers

Name: Carrie Linker 
Role: Senior Consultant, HR
Location: Cincinnati
Joined Sogeti: Feb 2018 

In the IT consulting industry, innovation and bold decision-making are necessary for success. I'm happy that I am a part of a company that helps organizations navigate and succeed through digital transformation and change.

I just celebrated my one-year anniversary in February and this first year went by so quickly! Time really does fly when you’re having fun! I’ve spent this first year acclimating to Sogeti’s culture, observing practices, focusing on getting to know my co-workers, and partnering with leadership to develop some cool talent development initiatives.

I love that I get to partner with unit leadership and my consultants to develop programs and activities that focus on talent development, recognition, connectedness, employee engagement, and retention. Also, I get to work at various client sites with my consultants each week to understand what support they need to do their work. 

Since I’ve been here, I’ve worked on a few projects that are focused on employee satisfaction and retention:

• Unit Engagement Group: I am a part of our unit’s engagement group, and our mission is to foster a positive culture that inspires employee engagement by promoting diversity, team-building, growth mindset, open communication, and Sogeti's core values (boldness, trust, freedom, team spirit, modesty, & fun). We meet once a month to discuss what the unit should start, stop, or continue doing to foster a positive culture for our consultants at Sogeti and at the client site.
• High Potential Program: Around 20% of our consultant population are considered high potential, which are consultants that have the capability to develop significantly beyond their current role, work in other disciplines or business areas, and be able to take on a new, more challenging role within two years (with some additional experience and/or development). So, this year my unit’s leadership curated a program that is designed to accelerate the career development of High Potential Consultants.
• Delivery Excellence: “Delivery Excellence” is an employee recognition program that highlights one consultant or group per month who consistently goes above and beyond expectations to provide quality service for our clients. Delivering significant business initiatives, creating value for our client, meeting critical deadlines, taking ownership for client challenges, and understanding the business impact of IT initiatives are a few factors of being selected as the “Delivery Excellence” winner. 

Those are just a few of the ways that I work to ensure people within my unit are engaged, inspired, motivated, and connected. I’m motivated by collaborating with people to problem-solve and improve our culture and processes.

Part of being a problem-solver is knowing when to ask for help or support from the people around you. The squeaky wheel gets the oil! If you have a question, use your resources. If you have a comment or suggestion on how to do something differently, speak up! We are not programmed to know everything and to immediately execute duties perfectly on our first try. That’s OK! Mistakes will happen, but these are opportunities for you to learn and grow.

My growth mindset is influenced by something that most people might not have guessed: “The Little Mermaid.” She was adventurous, curious and loved to explore. She desired to seek other worlds and discover cultures that are different than what she already knew. Although her heart would always be with her family, she took risks, evolved, put herself into situations that sometimes made her uncomfortable but ultimately help her to reach her goals and desires.