Employee Spotlight: Liya Getachew

We also asked Liya about the key components of her Consulting work at Sendero:

Tell us about your favorite project that you have led. Why was it your favorite?

One of my favorite projects that I led was an SAP integration project. The client had a need for a post-merger systems integration. In general, there are a lot of complexities when integrating technical systems and merging two companies. Each company usually has its workflows that are tailored to its own operational needs, competencies, and expertise. Mergers provide an opportunity for me to understand the details and bring together the best of both worlds. Here’s the story:

In the immediate months post-merger, the client noticed there were opportunities for improvement on various fronts, such as the overall project plan for integration, team structure, and governance. So, our Sendero team was brought on to provide leadership and guidance.

Our team quickly reviewed the existing project management processes and made the necessary changes to get the project on track. By creating these quick wins, our team organically built trust with the client and helped build a strong foundation to successfully execute the project.

It was a pleasure to lead a team that understood the importance of partnership and relationship building as we worked to exceed our client’s expectations. The team pulled together as a whole to efficiently complete the various workstreams while at the same time maintaining close collaboration. As project lead, I supported each team member to ensure that we produced high-quality work and deliverables.

In the end, the project successfully went live.

Do you consider yourself to have any specialties or areas of expertise?

I always seek opportunities to learn and develop new expertise, though I have focused on program and project management and establishing new business functions.

What do you think makes an ideal team? How does this relate to the teams you have led at Sendero?

Our Core Values emulate this well. Shared Success. Integrity, Passion, Respect, and Higher Reaching. All of the teams I have led at Sendero have truly embodied our commitment to shared success and operate with full integrity.

For me, one of the most important things to cultivate personally and with my team is self-awareness. If you have self-awareness, you are more capable of deeply understanding your environment, other people, and the impact that you are having on both. By having more awareness of ourselves and each other, we can more quickly align to strive for common objectives.

At Sendero, I am grateful because I feel that the team members we hire consistently embody our core values — particularly Shared Success — which makes it possible to collaborate effectively and deliver great results.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone interested in becoming a consultant, what would it be?

Learn to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Being a consultant is similar to being an entrepreneur because there is always more to do and more to learn. The question is how to prioritize effectively and learn quickly. The ability to incorporate and integrate many sources of information is an important characteristic of a successful consultant. What matters is not pretending to know everything; instead, it’s building the endurance internally so that you can handle anything.

Who inspires you?

My father. He grew up in a small village in Ethiopia and worked his way up to a highly respected role in aviation. His focus and determination to achieve such success from modest beginnings are admirable, but his willingness to help others along his path is truly inspiring. With each rung he climbed up the ladder he sought to pull others up with him, so that they may achieve their own version of success. He consistently has made himself available to others to share his knowledge, wisdom, and resources to empower and elevate. He is a humble, kind, and generous leader. I aspire to be like him every day.

To learn more about Sendero and to view our open positions, please visit our Careers page.

“The ability to incorporate and integrate many sources of information is an important characteristic of a successful consultant. What matters is not pretending to know everything; instead, it’s building the endurance internally so that you can handle anything.” – Liya Getachew