We write regularly articles in collaboration with Consultancy.nl about Summiteers' acquisitions and their experience in the first period. But what about the Summiteers who have been working there for a few years now? How do they look back on the past years? In this article “how are you doing now?” watching Daphne Dragt and Dylan Hermanns, who has been working at Summiteers for 2 and 3 years now, back to their time as Summiteers.

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Why Daphne & Dylan chose Summiteers

Daphne and Dylan chose Summiteers as employers two and three years ago, both for different reasons. For Daphne, it was a logical step after completing her master's degree and came across Summiteers on the Magnet.me platform. She was consciously looking for an organization where she could contribute directly to assignments and gain experience in a broad environment. “The sobriety and quality of Summiteers, combined with achieving results while doing fun things with great people, appealed to me.”

Dylan ended up at Summiteers in an unexpected way. After gaining experience in an advisory role at another company, he was itching to start doing business and he took the step at the time. “I quickly got to the point where I thought, is this the right thing for me at the moment?” When he came into contact with the name Summiteers while setting up his own company, he was immediately enthusiastic. “I thought that's a cool name. After looking further, it also turned out to be a cool club with a proposition made for itself. In the end, I decided that joining Summiteers was a much better choice for me. In particular, I wanted to be able to maintain my entrepreneurial mindset within the framework of an organization, and Summiteers turned out to be a good breeding ground to do that.”

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Continuous challenge, but certainly on the same page

“I think I've grown a lot more in a short time than I had previously thought,” says Daphne. Shortly after she started, she went on an assignment with an experienced colleague. There she sat directly at the table with the customer. “Before I knew it, I had completely found my way. Learning and development on the job is what defines Summiteers. I was able to really contribute right away and was given responsibility based on what I could do. I'm amazed at how fast that can go for us. In my opinion, you can develop yourself much faster than at a company where you move on based on how long you work there. You get a lot of challenges and I enjoy it.”

” When I look back on the period that we worked here, we are constantly challenged, with the idea that there is a good safety net underneath you. You're really not going to fall for a cup of coffee.”
- Dylan Hermanns

Summiteers does not necessarily look at what you are already good at, but mainly at where your development and ambition lie. “So it's really Summiteers to try to stretch that,” Dylan adds. “When I look back on the period that we worked here, we are constantly challenged, with the idea that there is always a safety net. You're really not going to go bust.” On the one hand, this is because there is a lot of experience around you on the content, but perhaps even more importantly, the amount of people knowledge around you. “Your colleagues really know how far they can let you go. If things threaten to go wrong, your colleagues will be there for you right away, so you'll dare to stretch again next time.” Daphne and Dylan also immediately felt like a valued colleague at Summiteers. “Whether you have 10 years of work experience or are just out of school, you are a Summiteer. Everyone has relevant knowledge and experience. You are immediately challenged to share your opinion on what we do here and how we do it. Find out, that's how we'll help each other out.”

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A broad portfolio of assignments

At Summiteers, consultants are trained to become generalists, which means that they are also encouraged to gain experience in various types of assignments and sectors. “You are regularly asked what your ambition lies, whether there are any other types of assignments or customers you would like to do a job with,” says Daphne. However, Summiteers won't easily put you on one type of assignment repeatedly, because, in our view, you'll miss out on crucial experiences. “It's actually fun to watch everything,” says Dylan. “That's also part of the job, otherwise it would be better to choose to become an (internal) advisor in a specific industry.” The more widely you can be deployed, the better you will see the full context. You can start thinking from different points of view. “I think this makes you an even more valuable advisor.”

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Summarizing culture: a professional family

“If I were to describe Summiteers' culture in two words: a professional family. It is a very close-knit club. Here, you will be professionally challenged in a safe environment where you can be yourself and vulnerable. There is friction possible because of the relationship you have with each other. That's also what then makes the team stronger again,” says Dylan. “We want to do a good job and we are working hard for that, so the bar is high. This is also possible due to the mutual relationship; we dare to make mistakes and speak to each other. The culture is open enough to stimulate each other and learn from each other,” Daphne adds. What particularly surprised Dylan is the combination of being a very informal club on the one hand, but also being able to be super professional in a split second. “The term “friend and colleague” is therefore no stranger.”

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Directing your own course

“We want to do a good job and we are working hard for that, so the bar is high. This is also possible due to the mutual relationship; we dare to make mistakes and speak to each other. The culture is open enough to encourage each other and learn from each other.”
- Daphne Dragt

Daphne and Dylan are both in the right place by now. If you ask them about the future, the profession as a consultant still appears to be a good choice. In addition, they mainly mention the space they feel to develop themselves and grow with them within Summiteers. “We also sometimes talk about working for Summiteers abroad,” says Daphne. “There is also room for that. If you have a certain ambition, we will very practically help you decide whether that can be achieved. That also means that we don't know exactly where Summiteers will be in 10 years, because we can give direction to that ourselves.” Dylan is also still happy with his role as advisor. “Now I get a lot of energy out of it and I think I can still add a lot of value,” says Dylan. “I really enjoy helping people and organizations move forward, letting them excel. I also think that's where my strength lies, but who knows, maybe there's more than that. I sometimes think about the combination of Summiteers and realizing other dreams or hobbies. Here they say: if you really want that and can already combine that with Summiteers, just do that.”

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