Alumni Profile: Graham Currie of Monash University

Graham Currie

My main roles were winning and managing project work in the transportation business, specifically the transit sector in strategy and business development planning assignments. I left my full-time position as a Senior Associate in mid-2003. However, I continue to work part-time at Booz Allen, working as an advisor and in managing small project teams on client work primarily in Australasia.

Today: Chair in Public Transport at the Institute of Transport Studies at Monash University, Australia's largest university.

It is the first professorial position in public transport in Australasia and one of the first in the world. The role, which is funded by the transit industry, is to develop research and education capabilities in the public transit sector. I left Booz Allen because it was difficult to turn down such an opportunity.

What, in a nutshell, did you learn at Booz Allen? The most important thing was the value of promoting a simple and clear story line out of your findings. I had been in consulting for almost ten years prior to working at Booz Allen so I thought "I knew it all."

As a technical expert, it is easy to become lost in the mire of technical detail, to fail to see the wood for the trees when examining interesting technical issues. Booz Allen values the communication of findings as much as the technical detail — getting both right is a mighty powerful combination. Being good technically is not half as effective; clients need to be able to understand findings as well as to know they have been developed competently.

I would also highlight the value of an effective team culture and a productive, nurturing and friendly working environment. In the end, a business is held together by the desire of its people to want to work there.

Do you feel that Booz Allen served as a foundation to your current position? If so, how? It has certainly been a major influence. I understand research and knowledge management better because of my experience at Booz Allen. Both are important parts of academic life.

Would you recommend working at Booz Allen? Absolutely. It is critical to work with people who are more capable and more experienced than you in order to learn. Booz Allen not only provides that environment — it creates a nurturing environment and the resources and training to help you develop.

But there is one critical thing you will always find at Booz Allen that you need for success — a challenge. You need to be challenged in order to develop, and you need to explore the boundaries of your "comfort zone" every now to then to know what it is you can and cannot do.

Favorite moment/experience here? It would be easy to site the thrill of learning of a successful bid, of beating capable competitors with a higher price bid. But my favorite times have been watching how senior people handle difficult, high-pressure situations in a calm and capable way. Some people have the ability to breed confidence — and it is working with them that have provided my favorite moments.

I'm new to Booz Allen. Any advice for me? I have always admired the Booz Allen phrase, "consulting is the art of listening." I remember a senior client looking astonished that I had been able to glean so much from just listing to what he and his staff had to say. The "listen" rule also applies to learning at Booz Allen: You will get great advice, so listen to it, use it and act on it.

Hard work is essential. It is often hard work outside of critical teamwork campaigns that stands out.

I have always thought that good people at Booz Allen are often doing the job of the people senior to them. So it's important to be familiar with the core competencies of the people who manage you as a way of understanding their drivers, responsibilities and challenges. That can be an excellent starting point to becoming valuable in assisting your team meet its obligations.

Also, I would stress the need for being proactive in making friends and contacts within Booz Allen. Everyone has an obligation to increase the knowledge base of the team. So keeping in touch with people in diverse fields and geographies can provide new opportunities for the firm to make the most of its assets.

New hires should also be considerate with senior and more experienced staff. They are extraordinarily busy people often trying to coordinate numerous diverse and conflicting issues in a limited time and budget. Short, succinct e-mails that get to the point are not just good courtesy: They save the reader time and show that you're considerate. Think through before-hand what you want to talk about with senior people.

Finally, stick to the Booz Allen core values. They were developed from almost a century of experience. Understand them, adopt them and don't be shy of demonstrating your willingness to use them.

profile posted December 2003