Last week, I had the privilege of attending our Accelerate Conference in St. Louis where I learned that Perficient’s secret sauce is really our people. We are a global digital consulting firm competing against the largest consulting firms in the world – and yet, we stand out.
We heard from a couple of our largest clients who spoke about the groundbreaking work we are doing together. I got goosebumps when I heard that the work my Perficient teammates are doing is helping people live better lives. As part of the top ten consulting firms in the healthcare space, we are even improving the world in ways that can be the difference between life and death. This aligns well with our new vision: “to be the place where great minds and great companies converge to boldly advance business.”
Our entire leadership team was at the conference, and we got to hear from our CEO, Tom Hogan, as well all the SVPs and AVPs leading critical areas of our business. The key component to all their talks was really about the quality of work the team is doing, the impact we are making on the world, and the huge opportunity in front of us to serve our clients in the Perficient way: creating a sustainable competitive advantage. We reviewed case studies and applauded outstanding performances, but we also took time to celebrate each other and the rest of our 7,000 teammates around the globe. I was proud to have even gotten an awesome mention from our SVP of Marketing, Bill Davis, who used my “one team, one mission” mantra.
Personally, I am extremely proud to be a member of our Digital Strategy team as the automotive industry lead. The team is off the charts in terms of intellect and accomplishment, but also in terms of kindness and that “one team, one mission” thinking. We are brothers and sisters who support each other with kindness and love, but aren’t afraid to also challenge each other to think harder and work smarter to create even better solutions, especially in automotive.
I was touched when an individual or team won an award and the whole room joined in the excitement. There was applause and pats on the back, and they were all just as happy as if they won the award themselves. That moment, when individuals become a team, is the moment that you know you are in a special place. I am humbled and honored to be part of a team where the only wins are team wins.
Finally, while we do get to see some of our teammates on the regular, there are other teammates that we have not seen yet. Our company spans the globe, with the best talent from several continents. The conference was moving because it was a place for us to all finally come together, build real connections, and even exchange handshakes and hugs along the way. All of this was confirmation for me that Perficient may not be the largest company in its space, but it is certainly making the largest impact.
Of course, this is all still just the beginning.
