Note: Over the next months I’ll be posting interviews with a number of key members of the Cicero team here and on my LinkedIn account. Stay tuned!

What brought you to Cicero Group?

I was attracted to Cicero Group for three reasons. First, I wanted to do consulting. I had heard from multiple business leaders that consulting is incredible education and a great place to start one’s career. Second, I learned that I could have a reasonable work/life balance at Cicero, which is somewhat rare for the consulting industry. And third, the consultants at Cicero were some of the finest people I had met. I wanted to work with and learn from these people. And I have to say, my expectations have all been met. Cicero is an incredible place to be.

What kind of projects are you working on right now?

I am currently working on two projects. One project is with an acclaimed online university. My Cicero team is helping the university track its brand image in targeted locations across the country and exploring the effects of marketing on leads and awareness. We work directly with the university’s marketing department. For my second project, I am an internal consultant for our in-house market research interviewing operation, which is undergoing significant growth.

What are you reading?

I recently finished a great book called David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell argues that so-called disadvantages may not be disadvantages at all. In fact, perceived disadvantages and challenges in life may actually be advantages in the long run. It’s a fascinating read, and I highly recommend it. I also just started reading Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill, who is the author of Think and Grow Rich.

What is the best part about working at Cicero?

There are a lot of great things about working at Cicero, but I’ll mention my top two. Number one is industry exposure. At Cicero, I’ve gained exposure to a broad range of industries and clients—from grocery stores and universities to opera houses and zoos. There’s always something new. Second, I love the people I work with—they’ve become like family.

If you could help all your clients understand one principle or strategy, what would it be?

Author

Trent Kaufman

Dr. Trent Kaufman is the Chief Executive Officer of Cicero Group. In 2006, he sold to Cicero the education transformation firm he had founded five years earlier. Today, that company, Education Direction (www.eddirection.com) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cicero’s and works with over a thousand schools around the world to measurably improve student learning. Dr. Kaufman is respected globally for developing sophisticated systems to enable the use of performance data to maximize individual and team performance at organizations of varied purpose and form. He is a leading author of two best-selling books surrounding organizational transformation. Prior to becoming a leading thinker in organizational design and transformation, Dr. Kaufman’s first “career” was in public education. He began as a social studies teacher in Washington D.C. before becoming a high school principal in the Bay Area of California. Trent received a bachelor’s degree in Social Science, with an emphasis in Economics from Brigham Young University. He earned a master’s degree in Education and Leadership from the University of California, Berkeley. Trent earned a master’s degree in Policy Management and a doctorate in Performance Management from Harvard University.