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Meet Alfonso de Hoyos y Acosta
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More Commercial Consultants |
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| What advice would you give to new graduates?
When you come out of business school, you have two broad choices, whether to work in a commercial industry or not-for-profit organization. Although I wanted to be intellectually challenged, I also wanted to truly enjoy the work as well. Regardless of where you go, your decision has to be based on what is going to interest you. You need to go into an area that really calls to you personally. Whether you decide on the public or private sector, it has to call you intellectually and personally.
What attracted you to consulting, and why did you choose Booz Allen?
I was attracted to consulting because of the flexibility of being allowed to work on different projects, activities, industries, operations, and geographies. As for Booz Allen, it was the team culture. Booz Allen is a firm that truly believes in teamwork. I have never been on a project where an individual has been singled out, because the success or failure is built upon the team. When you realize your success depends on someone else, people help one another. I don’t believe that other firms have our esprit de corps as such an ingrained part of their cultures. I was at another firm for two years before returning to Booz Allen and I was always unfavorably comparing their culture to Booz Allen’s.
How does your MBA help you in your work?
An MBA doesn’t guarantee you success in consulting. It does provide a common set of analytical tools and more importantly exposes you to very different people from all over the world. In many MBA programs, teamwork is a major part of the learning experience; and the experiences you gain in compromising, negotiating, and even disagreeing will help prepare you for consulting.
What surprised you about the first year?
The biggest surprise was how much you were expected to proactively work on your own and chart your own career. Booz Allen gives you a lot of space to be as successful as you want.
If you could sum up Booz Allen in one word, what would it be?
Entrepreneurial. Although there’s a strong culture and structure, as you rise in the firm, it’s up to you to determine your career. It’s like you’re building a business.
How do you manage your work/life balance?
I’m very careful about managing the team. I leverage my team a lot and trust those working for me and that helps everyone. As a job manager, it’s about building people to be self-sufficient. As an associate, it’s about setting limits.
What’s on your iPod?
50 Cent, Cidade Negra, Kooks, Coldplay
What was the oddest job you had prior to consulting?
I worked in a hospital data center room and I had these crazy lists I had to follow like in the movie Night at the Museum. So crazy lists and working at night made for a bizarre job. | 
