Vince Gonzalez
, Senior AssociateWhy did you choose Booz Allen?
I chose Booz Allen for several reasons: for the firm’s reputation as a leader and innovator in the consulting marketplace, for its reputation in client relationships, and for the excellence of its Global Operations and People Services teams. I also was impressed with the intellectual capability and camaraderie of the people here, which I saw for the first time at my interview. People really work together for the success of the company.
Why have you chosen to stay at Booz Allen?
One reason I stay here is the opportunity I have to influence decisions and support the firm in reaching its strategic objectives. I have the opportunity here of making a real impact. I also have the good fortune to be working with brilliant leadership and colleagues. It’s exciting and challenging to work with the people at Booz Allen. In addition, our Learning and Development organization has been recognized as number one in training by several training associations and was recently inducted into Training magazine’s “Training Top 10 Hall of Fame.” I’ve been fortunate to work with the team that contributed to these accomplishments, directly and indirectly.
What type of work do you do at Booz Allen?
I run our Employee Development function, which is part of Learning and Development. My team is responsible for internal training programs for the firm’s 20,000 employees. We focus on employee onboarding programs for the roughly 5,000 employees coming into the firm annually, core critical curriculum for all employees across the firm, team and functional learning, regional training programs, new initiatives aligned with cyber learning and development, and our overall planning and operations.
What excites you about your work?
What wakes me up and sends me to work every morning is the opportunity to develop and enhance the capabilities of our employees in alignment with our corporate strategy. It’s exciting to contribute to the firm in a way that’s tangible. I love what I do—helping employees build their careers and reach personal goals, while satisfying the needs of the firm.
Do you have a mentor at Booz Allen?
I have several mentors here, and they’re all fabulous. They offer me help and guidance in various ways: they are a source of honest feedback; they advise me on opportunities within the firm; they serve as a sounding board for ideas, issues, challenges, and successes; and they are a great source of information for guiding me in my career and professional growth.
What differentiates Booz Allen from other companies that you could work for—what makes Booz Allen special?
Probably the easiest and most accurate answer is the people. I have yet to find another group of people who have the combined experience and intellectual capability of those I work with here. We all challenge one another, with the result that everyone works hard to do really well. In other organizations, success can be more personally focused, with emphasis on individual accomplishment—which can cause tension. That doesn’t happen here because people are very supportive of each other. We celebrate the success of the people we work with. That’s very refreshing.
How has Booz Allen helped you be ready for what’s next in your career?
I’ve been given increased accountability and responsibility, including opportunities for interaction with senior leadership and the chance to work with them to drive our organizational agenda. I’ve also been given many academic and professional opportunities in my field that keep me up to date on the functional aspects of my work. I also have found the assessment process here to be very insightful and a great source of feedback and information. The development plan it produces is a roadmap for career growth.
How do you help Booz Allen be ready for what’s next? How do you help your clients be ready for what’s next? How has your and your team’s work made an impact for the firm?
My role provides me with the opportunity to contribute in three areas. First, our team works to bring in new employees effectively, enabling them to integrate better into the firm and their roles. Second, we enhance the skill of employees in our core business areas and thus contribute to the firm’s success. Third, our team provides functional learning that is very focused on the skills that individuals need for their work the firm. I’m very fortunate to have opportunities for impact on such a broad scale.
Can you talk about a time when you saw one or more of our Core Values displayed?
I see the Core Values displayed all the time—they are part of our way of life. For example, Booz Allen emphasizes client service unlike anything I’ve ever encountered—we are looking for long-term relationships with our clients, and I see examples of this every single day. The firm is also a benchmark for the notion of teamwork and working collaboratively to drive a shared agenda. We celebrate success as a group—we recognize that individuals don’t succeed without the team. We also have a workforce that is inclusive, that is intellectually and culturally diverse across all areas. I see all of this every day.
