A Journey into the Consulting World with Vridhi Tuli, Ex-Management Senior Consultant
In the high-stakes world of business, technological advancements, market shifts, and internal restructurings are constantly changing the landscape. In such situations, it becomes really hard to evolve your business and keep up with trends. However, there exists a secret weapon: change management consultancy. This is crucial as it acts like a catalyst for organizational success. It’s where the magic happens, where hardships transform into opportunity, and where the spotlight shines on people like Vridhi Tuli — an influential change management consultant. She has worked with renowned companies and organizations like Deloitte, Accenture, IBM and World Health Organization. She leverages her expertise in psychology, communication, strategy and Generative AI, for leaving a mark and inspiring others to make progress towards growth and innovation.
Her Journey 🚀
Vridhi started her journey when she was attending Stanford — she learned about the huge rise in online education, and worked in that area for a bit. This helped her gain an idea of how different people learn and process information, and she learned a ton of tips, theories, and methods on how to remember content.
After a little while, she heard about management consulting and grew interested — this led her to work on a variety of training projects, and then she moved up the ranks to IBM and eventually to positions at Accenture and Deloitte. She realized the importance of understanding all sorts of businesses, such as healthcare, education, and more, because, as a consultant, she had to provide insights into all of these spaces. Something that helped carry Vridhi throughout this experience was her leaders — she remarked that it’s not about how much you know, it’s about who you know. These leaders helped her build a network in the space and introduced her to all of the different businesses she would be working in and giving advice about.
Working in the space for the past 10 years, Vridhi has become a master of teamwork and collaboration, and time management.
“But it’s really important to look at the human side of things, because at the end of the day, we are all people. If you want to be successful in life, you also have to be happy. Work life balance is very important, so I would definitely encourage anybody who’s working or would like to get even into consulting to make sure that they do specific activities or sports that they’re interested in or any hobby, like painting or drama or like taking fun classes.
What does she do? 💪
Vridhi involves herself in the planning and execution of strategic initiatives to improve the overall performance of the company she works for. She focuses on things like assessing the current problems/solutions, designing new/improved solutions, and looking at how those solutions can be implemented for continuous company growth.
She starts her day at around 8 o’clock in the morning, and spends maybe about an hour going through various emails for the different projects she’s tasked with. She usually has daily check-in calls where the whole team meets together and discusses the specific deliverables for the day. She figures out her action items and next steps, takes note of them and starts working on them to promptly meet deadlines.
Creating simulations and slide decks for projects is a really important part of her job. But, understanding the audience and how they typically learn is much more important. The communication aspect needs to be solidified for the knowledge to be delivered properly and this is where Vridhi uses psychological tactics to get her points across.
“You have to make learning such that it’s sticky. There’s a book by Chip Heath, he’s a Stanford professor, which talks about the importance of having sticky ideas. So when I design deliverables and present them to people, I make sure that there are lots of activities that are fun, engaging and memorable.”
Vridhi is also very passionate about Generative AI and E-learning. She has learnt how to use SAP and Oracle tools for enterprise resource planning. This has not only helped her in her consultancy projects but also helped her understand how she can use GenAI through these tools. She stays informed about the latest AI trends and uses them to craft effective business strategies.
“My goal, maybe 10 years from now, is to be a Chief Learning Officer of a company. I want to use a lot of the knowledge, skills and experiences I’ve developed to keep learning every day and eventually reach that goal.”
Business & Tech Insights ⚙️
1. Understand your audience and cater your presentations/pitches to who they are and how they will learn.
“I try to keep the learner in mind and use lots of creative strategies, because a lot of the time, you need to make sure you’ve captured the learner’s attention and get them excited. So I always try to understand who the audience is and then make sure that learning is fun for them.”
2. Stay organized and structured, and manage your time well. Staying organized ensures you don’t forget about any important tasks or projects you have ongoing.
“The first lesson I learned is that especially in a field like consulting, it’s very important to be very organized and structured because sometimes you can be working on a lot of different projects.”
3. Relationships are crucial — remember small things about people’s lives to keep a close relationship and show that you listen and care for what they have to say.
“In my opinion it’s not just about delivering work, but it’s also about forming a bond with the other person. Because at the end of the day, whether it’s a client or a colleague, the other person is a person. So, if I’m working with you, I would like to know about who you are as a person.”
4. Communication is key — communicating well with colleagues will lead to a good work environment and organized projects.
Even if you have so much knowledge and you learn something everyday and don’t feel confident enough to communicate it clearly to other people, then the knowledge is of no use. Communication skills are something you have to develop on your own because it won’t come to you naturally. Watch and learn from powerful speakers. Read books from impactful authors.
5. For managers and leaders — be a friend to your employees. This keeps a good relationship and keeps employees happy and engaged.
“One of the best things I’ve learned from a really good manager is that you’ve got to be a friend to the other person. They should be able to work with you and also talk to you about anything. The reason why is because, when people are comfortable working with you, it keeps them happy and engaged.”
Lessons 💡
- Always try to be a giver, and always try to see how you can help others.
Remember it’s not only about your own work, but it’s about the team.
“Why don’t you always try to be a giver? It’s not only about your own work, but it’s about the team. So whenever you’re working on something, always try to see how you can be an asset to the team, how you can help others.”
2. Have a positive attitude every single day.
“Take care of yourself, your mental, physical, and emotional health, because only when you are happy with yourself, can you lead other people.”
3. Never forget to keep pursuing your hobbies.
It’s important to look at the human side of things. At the end of the day, we’re all people. To be successful in life, you have to be happy and hobbies allow you to get that happiness. It will help refresh your minds and fuel creativity.
“I love physical activity. So throughout my career, I continue to either go to the gym or play tennis or go swimming. I would definitely encourage this for anybody!
4. Lead by example.
This is super important in building team spirit.
“ Lead by example, which basically means that if I have to lead a team first, I have to be a good role model and do what I say I do”
5. Continue to work hard and be very sincere in whatever you’re doing. Things will not come easy to you, and you shouldn’t simply give up. Make goals and plan the steps to achieve them. Don’t let negative experiences hold you back, learn from it and push yourself forwards.
“You must work hard without worrying about the results. The end result is not always important and shouldn’t be the main priority. The journey is what’s important.”
TL;DR 🎯
- Vridhi Tuli is a Stanford Alumni and an influential change management consultant.
- She has lots of experience working with companies and organizations like Deloitte, Accenture, IBM and World Health Organization.
- Vridhi’s passion for psychology, has helped her master the skill of communicating and connecting with people.
- She is proficient in using SAP and Oracle tools for enterprise resource planning and is looking it how GenAI can be used.
- Stay organized and structured, and manage your time well.
- Never forget to keep pursuing your hobbies.
- Don’t let negative experiences hold you back. Come back stronger!
