Written by Robyn Keet
Autonomy. Tangible impact. Dynamic. Mentorship. Fun. These are the five elements every student wishes to find during their internship but very rarely can it be honestly reported – or at least not all of them! My experience at BrightWolves, however, has been all five and more.
I entered the BrightWolves building on a Monday morning in July, a mix of nerves and excitement, slightly uncertain of what I could expect from my first experience working in Europe and in the world of management consulting. I was greeted with open arms, warm smiles and freshly baked croissants. I was immediately made to feel part of the team; a feeling that never faltered for the duration of my internship.
My internship projects were centered around sustainability. The BrightWolves team assigns projects with insight and professionalism – they have an acute awareness of the interests, capabilities and untapped or hidden skills of interns and consultants alike. I loved the varied nature of the projects; although they followed the sustainability theme, I worked with different consultants on both internal and external projects that required different approaches to reach the desired outcome. This meant that I was exposed to, not only in the harder skills such as time management, structured working and the power of an effective PowerPoint slide, but also softer skills. Curious to know what truly stood out during my summer internship at BrightWolves?
The value of a wolf pack
A wolf pack is known to care for one another as individuals; to form a structure that facilitates strong communication; to collaborate and transfer knowledge across generations; and to show curiosity and unwavering loyalty. The “Wolf Pack” is a fitting way to describe the BrightWolves team – they make time for one another and embody the true team spirit of celebrating the wins and standing strong besides one another during challenging times.
Furthermore, being surrounded by a team of highly ambitious, entrepreneurial-minded people has inspired me to continue working towards my own goals. I greatly valued the emphasis BrightWolves places on striving towards a work-life balance, which is evident in the varied interests the Wolves have outside of work, be it playing rugby, running marathons or immersing oneself in culinary experiences.
Autonomy and support
The internship was dynamic, challenging and highly rewarding. From day one I was given responsibility for my projects; a factor that was really important to me and that I greatly valued. Even as an intern, I felt the Iceberg Principle in full force – although I took ownership of my project, there was never a lack of support from my internship mentor, manager, fellow interns and the rest of the BrightWolves team members. The team offered great guidance, never hesitating to take time in their busy schedules to lend me a helping hand. This is truly testament to a company that has successfully incorporated a culture of teamwork and mutual success into its organizational blueprint. My internship manager, offered me the freedom to think creatively and work autonomously, but was always available to provide guidance when necessary.
More than just catchy slogans
BrightWolves embodies its slogan of “Impacting Transformation”. But this goes beyond the work they do for clients. Sustainable transformation is at the very core of BrightWolves. This is evident in the focus placed on employee engagement and the support, guidance and encouragement to grow both professionally and personally. It also shines through in the ambitious internal sustainability projects, which I was fortunate to have been a part of. BrightWolves truly walks-the-walk.
So in short, my internship at BrightWolves was a balance of data-driven problem solving and creativity; challenging the norms and learning the basics; building upon harder and softer skillsets; but most importantly, it was a balance between hard work and good fun. To be part of the BrightWolves team, which embodies the qualities of guardianship, instinct, loyalty and spirit, strong connection and intuition, high intelligence and communication has been a privilege.