Celebrating 30 Years of Ups and Downs at Accenture

What made me stay for 30 years in a competitive consulting company where people normally stay for a few years to build their CV, or make it all the way to the top? Instead I burned out, crash landed at manager level, and made "success" out of failing, being average and being human. Here are my reflections.

Becoming a "Best People"

June 10th, 1991 was a proud day in my life. I became a BEST PEOPLE at Andersen Consulting (Accenture from 2001). I had passed the prestigious bar and got hired. I was simply starstruck by the consulting business, training in Chicago and wearing elegant suits at work.

The average age in Andersen Consulting in Norway back then was 27 years old, the bars were wide open, and we travelled the world.

I was deployed to Change Management Services (CMS, also called “Chicks Making Slides” by older male colleagues, and we just politely laughed along). After years of being a poor student, it was time for becoming a DINK (Double Income No Kid). I was ready for a new adventure!

30 years later

Thirty years later, I am still here in all my glory and shortcomings, more dedicated and passionate than ever before. Many colleagues have joined and left over the years.

99,8% of the 544 745 people currently working at Accenture joined after me. I guess that makes me kind of exotic and for some, probably weird.

It has been quite a ride of ups and downs, which I would guess is kind of normal during 30 years of employment. However, I do believe that my "downs" have been somewhat more "down below" than most of my colleagues.

So why did I stay?

It was not fast tracking the career levels

I have always done very well in school and university. However, by Accenture standards, I have mostly been an average performer, and even "below" a couple of times as well. I have many times felt heartbroken by a performance management system which defined me as not good enough, not smart enough, not business oriented enough and not professional enough. Many years ago, I was even told to change my dialect to come across as more professional, which just made me use my dialect even more.

While most of my colleagues back then have made great careers with fancy titles, I landed at manager level, and have stayed there ever since.

Many of my colleagues have headhunters call them weekly. Headhunters have called me twice during all these years. The first time, they asked if I knew of a good accountant. The second time, they had dialed the wrong number.

It was not becoming an "HR case"

I was different from the start. I had no background in business or in technology. I felt that I did not fit into the norm of what a business consultant should be. However, I worked very hard to try to fit in. As a perfectionist driven by fear of not being good enough, I allowed Accenture to define my value as a human being. It simply broke me. After 10 years in consulting, trying to be perfect in every area of life, I experienced a severe burnout.

I became an “HR case” and my personnel folder grew thicker and thicker. I had just confirmed to everyone that I was a complete failure. That they were right about me. I had finally been exposed. I experienced a company back then that was not ready for me having a mental health, being human and burning out.

It took me 3 years of sick leave to recover (and 10 years before I could work full time again). Now, this was the point when I should have left Accenture, however I was not strong enough. Having a security net becomes very important when you experience long term illness. So, I decided to stay on. However, I also decided to be open and vocal about what I had experienced; in a time when being vulnerable was considered a weakness...

It was finding my voice and making Accenture more authentic, caring, and human

Going through this painful experience changed my life. It changed me and what was important to me. Rising from the ashes, I found my purpose and passion in life. Leaving consulting, and entering HR was like coming home. This was a great place for me to use my voice and have impact.

I wanted to make Accenture more authentic, caring, and human. I wanted us to dare to look behind the perfect consulting facade and bring our authentic selves to work. Dare to show our vulnerability. I wanted everyone to feel that they are worthy and good enough despite our differences or imperfections; especially those who do not fit into the norm. I wanted Accenture to be a soft place to fall. I wanted Accenture to look at employees as whole human beings, and not resources to be squeezed as much as possible at one project after the other.

When Accenture launched the Truly Human framework some years ago, it felt like all the missing pieces fell into place. A workplace where people can be their best self both professionally and personally, focusing on body, mind, heart, and soul. A workplace where people can be their authentic selves, where people feel that they belong. A workplace where we can talk openly about how we are really doing. This was truly the moment when Accenture became "my Accenture"

"You don't inspire others by being perfect. You inspire them by how you deal with your imperfections"

It was using my voice to make Accenture more diverse and inclusive

While talent is equally distributed, opportunities are not. The thought of people not having equal opportunities based on their gender, culture, color of their skin, who they worship, or who the love etc. makes me deeply upset. It is simply unacceptable. This is why my passion for I&D is so strong.

As an I&D lead, I often make people feel uncomfortable. I talk about sensitive topics which make people feel uncomfortable, and at times feel even blamed and guilty.

The thing is, if we want to change, we must get uncomfortable. Working with diversity and inclusion, we simply must get uncomfortable before we get comfortable. There is no easy way out.

I have actively used my own life experiences to challenge Accenture and drive change. My painful burn out experience, made me into a key driver in our work on mental health in Accenture Norway. My journey as a proud mother, made me the key driver in our work on LGBT+ in Accenture Nordics, also inspiring many companies in Norway to start addressing sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace. My experience as a mother of kids with brown skin, I have been the key driver for introducing ethnicity and anti-racism into our Nordic I&D agenda. I have actively built a very diverse network of friends and colleagues over many years and learned so much. Most of all, I have learned that we have much more in common that what set us apart.

It was becoming a public speaker

Having feared (more than anything) to speak in front of an audience, I decided to be a facilitator for a 3 weeks training in Accenture's training site in Chicago. These weeks cured my anxiety for public speaking. I realized that I had a talent for storytelling. In such a way that it became my "superpower". I just love to tell stories and engage an audience. Just like my father did.

While headhunters did not find my profile interesting, others have. Media, various organizations, workplaces (including many of our competitors) and conferences did indeed. Often to be inspired by my passion and storytelling. Over the years I have spoken at conferences and events in Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Riga, Prague, London, Dublin, Amsterdam, and Toronto. I have been profiled in the Huffington Post, podcasts, and even had a few front pages as well in Norwegian media.

Furthermore, I was invited by Innovation Norway to be a panelist at an I&D event in connection with the H.R.H. The Crown Prince and Princess of Norway's visit to Toronto in 2016, which was an awesome experience.

I was also invited to share Accenture's experiences with inclusion and diversity in connection with the Foreign Ministry's delegation visit from Argentina. Costa Rica and Mexico (including ministers) in 2019.

I have facilitated I&D training for our Accenture colleagues in South Africa in which one participant wrote: "One of the most powerful and thought-provoking sessions ever". If you want to have impact, it just does not get better than this.

I have been nominated to some awards over the years, but never won. However, Accenture Norway has won the ODA Award twice (2016 and 2021) for our I&D work. I have played a key role in winning these awards.

These have been some of the highlights of my career being "average".

It was Accenture's bold leadership

Over the last years, it has meant so much to me to have global leadership who is bold and have the courage and the backbone the do the right thing. Especially related to diversity, inclusion, and equality.

• It was bold leadership when introducing Conduct Counts in 2014 and doing a survey to document the level of disrespectful behavior and misconduct experienced by our people, in a time when most companies swept it under the carpet.
• It was bold leadership when setting the 50/50 gender target and being transparent about it.
• It was bold leadership when speaking up against racism and taking bold actions to address ethnicity, by setting goals to increase race and ethnicity representation in our workforce overall and among managing directors (in UK, US and South Africa) 
• It was bold leadership in when Accentures health insurance covered gender dysphoria treatment (gender transitioning) for our employees who identify as trans, (binary and non-binary) in countries where this is legally possible.

These are just some examples of the bold leadership that I just love about Accenture and that has made me stay with Accenture for so many years.

And most of all, it is, and always has been, the people

It was all the amazing and smart people that I have had the pleasure of working with during all these years. People from all over the world, united by our common culture and core values. People you can trust and who always deliver on their promises.

• It was the wise leader who understood that she needed to lead me in a different way, praising me for making mistakes, so that I was able to learn that it was ok.
• It was also all the emotional conversations I have had with employees in despair who were not feeling good enough or going through a life crisis. It was trying to be the lighthouse in their storm.
• It was the beautiful moments when we gained a new insight together, especially finding new perspectives in inclusion and diversity.
• It was people's reactions when I shared my life stories, and I knew that I had touched their hearts.
• It was our beautiful and unique global Pride community which embraces people with unconditional love and acceptance, my true home in Accenture.

As I turned 50, my colleagues made a word cloud to describe me or say some nice things about me: Caring, open, engaged, courageous, strong, kind, and yes Coke Light. If this is how my colleagues see me, then I have left some good footprints.

As the I&D lead, many of my colleagues also know who I am. In addition to being a colorful, passionate and outgoing person, I have also been parodied in Accenture's annual cabaret on several occasions. Being portrayed as the "Diversity Queen" is a great honor, and means that I have made some kind of impact, at least :-)

Thank you!

I have had the same employer during these 30 years, but I have for sure worked for several different companies. The Accenture that I work for today, is a totally different company than the company I joined 30 years ago. The best one ever.

Thank you to all the wonderful people who have been a part of my journey during all these years!

?The only thing you really own in this life that cannot be taken away from you, is your story. So make sure it’ll be a damn good one?