Sean Woolley recently joined Jabian as the lead in our Dallas office. Read below to get to know Sean and find out why he made the decision to come to Jabian.
What made you decide to join Jabian?
As I considered a leadership opportunity with Jabian, it became apparent that Jabian has a unique approach, culture, and style that entirely align with my core values and I believe these same attributes strongly resonate with the best and brightest minds in strategic and management consulting. This is an amazing company and the opportunities to thrive both personally and professionally are limited only by how many hours there are in a day and one’s own imagination. There was a depth of honestly, transparency, and consistency in every conversation I had while learning about Jabian that I have never seen in my 20-year career. This made my decision to join the firm straight-forward because I was confident that it was fact-based, not just gut feel or intuition. Jabian also seeks to be a pillar in our communities beyond just commercial interests and I’m excited to have the opportunity to build and lead a business that considers this a guiding principle for the firm. And the local market model was appealing. Traveling every week was really becoming a significant strain for me and my family.
In your first few weeks with Jabian, what’s the biggest difference you’ve seen from Big 4 firms?
Transparency is a huge thing you see right away. People are, and want to be, accountable for what they do. Everything we project about the firm externally, whether it’s in marketing material or in meetings, is how it really is here. There’s no smoke and mirrors. Things get done quickly because of a lack of bureaucracy. There’s also a lot of similarities I see. Some of the best things we did at my previous firm, we do here and I am seeing cases where Jabian is doing better, whether it’s strategic planning, operations management, or level of professionalism and capabilities. The other thing I see is a bit more intangible, but very present. There’s a general attitude that if you have a vision, a passion, and a plan, there are no limits to what you can do.
What kind of work do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy C-level business transformation opportunities. Working with the heads of companies to solve challenges that improve their people, processes, and technology and require deeply talented teams to resolve. There’s something very satisfying about seeing an organization flourish because of advice and service you and your team provided. For me, tangible results for clients should be at the core of everything one does as a management consultant. I always seek to deliver results, not just reports.
How would you describe your leadership style?
I like to hire great people and get out of their way. I see myself as an enabler for leaders to do their best work. Because I’m results focused, I avoid getting into the weeds on individual, day-to-day tasks because this typically slows progress and leads to unnecessary second guessing. I prefer to spend my time identifying and managing goals that are realistic and meaningful for our clients, our people, and our firm.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
When not on vacation the thing I enjoy most is spending time with my young kids and my lovely wife. Our ideal vacation is anything with beaches, sun, and water. I love to scuba dive, cycle, golf, etc.