CONSULTANTS WHO LOVE CONSULTING – JASMINA FATIC, CMC
Q1 In brief, describe how you entered the profession of management consulting, or when did you decide that management consulting was a profession that you wanted to enter?
Truthfully, I stumbled upon it almost 9 years ago, when I joined a firm specializing in program evaluation. After working there for about two years, I realized that I truly enjoyed the work and wanted to continue working in the field.
Q2 What do you love most about consulting?
Evaluation is so multifaceted in nature and the experiences of evaluators can be very diverse depending on the evaluators’ backgrounds and the environments in which they operate. For example, evaluators can operate internally within an organization or externally, providing a third-party review. They may have a background in business, a social science, or a field such as education, communications, or economics.
My experience as an evaluator has provided me with diversity, challenge, and reward at the same time. What I enjoy most is the opportunity to work on challenging projects across many sectors and with diverse stakeholder groups.
Q3 What do you like the least?
As with any other type of consulting, there are periods when your work takes priority and it can be difficult to achieve work-life balance, particularly during busy periods.
Q4 What has been your most satisfying engagement and why?
An evaluation I conducted on behalf of the Doctors of BC's General Practice Services Committee: the evaluation of A GP for Me (the initiative). Throughout Canada, health care systems are challenged by population growth, aging, and physician retirement and relocation. These, among other factors, have added demands to, and limited the capacity of, the health care system.
Such challenges require a combination of initiatives, including community-driven efforts. This initiative was conducted in partnership through the General Practice Services Committee to foster community action of this sort. Undertaking an evaluation of such a broad and diverse provincial health care initiative encompassed a lot of elements, and challenged the project team to consistently ensure that collaboration and adaptiveness were employed throughout the entire process.
Q5 What personality trait has helped you the most in your career?
Being collaborative, flexible, organized, decisive, and self-motivated have helped me the most in my career as a consultant.
Q6 Finally, if you were stranded on a desert island - What is one book and one luxury item you would take with you?
I would take a pillow and Tuesdays with Morrie with me.
--
To learn more about Jasmina, click here.
