Q&A with Rich Coughlin: Chief Operating Officer
The consulting veteran shares key lessons from his career, a compelling vision for Slalom’s future, and insight on being true to yourself and others.
To start, what do you love most about Slalom?
Where do I start? Top of the list is the opportunity to work with talented and passionate people. Our culture and core values are incorporated into how we work with our clients and treat our people. I’ve always said our core values aren’t something created for the company—they are truly a definition of our people and culture, created from the bottom up. Our people care about Slalom, they care about each other, and they care about our clients and communities. That is special.
Slalom also has a very entrepreneurial culture. That really attracted me when I joined. Our people are empowered to make decisions, grow the business, and act in the best interests of both employees and clients. This empowerment is both permitted and actively encouraged.
Can you share a bit about your career in consulting?
I’ve been a consultant since day one of my career. I started at another firm straight out of college and was there for over 20 years before coming to Slalom in 2013. I’ve been privileged to work with some of the world’s largest multinational private and public companies during my 30-plus-year run. One of the reasons I’ve stayed in consulting is the dynamic nature of what we do, the pace of change, and the new challenges we face and solve every day. I feel like I’ve had 30 different careers over the years.
Tell us about any lessons you’ve learned along the way.
I would answer that in two parts. First, I would emphasize our core value of “doing what is right always,” whether in interactions with our clients, colleagues, or in my personal life. Over the years, I have learned that what is “right” is often not the easiest or most comfortable choice. Ultimately, I have gained confidence in doing what is right, even when it feels uncomfortable or the difficult thing to do.
The second part is to embrace curiosity. While it sounds straightforward, cultivating curiosity as a skill can be challenging, especially in the consulting industry, where we often feel pressure to have all the answers. However, through my experiences, my perspective has shifted. Our role as consultants is to be inquisitive, ask questions, and use that curiosity to guide teams to address and solve their most pressing opportunities and challenges. Approaching this from a place of understanding rather than simply providing answers or opinions is much more powerful. I think this is equally important in the growth and development of people.
Can you tell us about one of your first career mistakes and how you learned from it?
One of my earliest lessons was to be mindful of Reply versus Reply All. Joking aside, this taught me attention to detail and thoughtfulness before reacting. The bigger lesson was that words matter—use them wisely and speak with intention and purpose.
What do you think makes a great consultant? What are some of the qualities that you look for when you’re hiring?
A few that are top of mind include listening, curiosity, and the ability to take ownership and quickly adapt to changing and ambiguous environments. I look for people who want to succeed while helping others succeed. Everybody we hire at Slalom needs to have a sense of community and engagement with our people—treating others with respect and giving others an opportunity to grow. And, of course, great consultants should be truly obsessed with customers, as that is who we serve.
“Being a father to three amazing daughters is my number one accomplishment. I’m so proud of the young women they’ve become.“
As you build out the office of the Chief Operating Officer, what is most important to the team’s culture?
There are several key priorities that come to mind. First, fostering a results- and outcomes-driven culture is essential. I aim to ensure that we focus on driving and achieving results, and empowering our people to take action.
Second, promoting a culture of adaptability and evolution is crucial. The consulting landscape is transforming at an unprecedented pace. We must develop the organizational agility and vision to anticipate and adapt to these changes and do so with speed.
Lastly, collaboration is vital. This role involves integrating and supporting the orchestration of our business, necessitating a high level of collaboration and alignment across all teams. It is not one person or one function that has made or will make us successful—it is the entire organization working in unison for a specific goal or objective.
As you think about the next five years, what are your goals and what are you most excited about?
Over the next five years, my goal is to build and efficiently run a well-architected company. Our ability to build an organization that can deliver with excellence to our clients in an efficient, scalable, and consistent way is critical to our success and growth.
Our achievements to date have been fueled by determination, talent, and innovation. As we continue to grow and evolve, it is essential to develop our focus, discipline, agility, and speed to respond to the market changes, client demands, and our own goals and objectives. What excites me is the opportunity we have in front of us that we have yet to take advantage of, and the tremendous upside we have as a company.
My immediate objective, however, is to ensure that we concentrate on the priority areas over the next 12 to 18 months. I firmly believe that focus yields results, and my goal is to help us identify and execute a few key initiatives to effectively support our growth and profitability goals.
From your perspective, what makes a great leader?
When I think about the leaders I’ve admired in my career, a few traits stand out. First, a great leader is someone you can trust because they always act with integrity and take accountability for their actions. They say what they mean and mean what they say. Next, they have a clear vision that inspires the team and keeps everyone focused on common goals. They also focus on developing and empowering their team, creating a supportive atmosphere where everyone can grow and do their best. Lastly, they show commitment and resilience, leading by example and tackling challenges with confidence, from the front.
Where do you see Slalom 10 years from now?
It’s a bit hard to guess what Slalom will look like in 10 years, as 10 years ago I’m not sure I would have been very accurate as to where we are today. What I do know is that in our business the only constant is change. I do believe we have the ambition, vision, and resiliency to change to become the world’s most customer-obsessed, employee-empowered services companies. My goal would be in 10 years to tell Brad, our CEO, “You were right, we can get there and we did!”
I’m proud of the growth and evolution of our company over the past 20+ years, and in my expanded role, I feel an obligation to help guide us in the right direction over the next decade to truly achieve our vision as a company.
What’s your ideal weekend day?
Wake up before sunrise (I’m a morning guy and love a sunrise over a sunset), grab a coffee, catch up on the news and some current events, and head out to play a round of golf. Then come home, maybe hop on the bike with my wife, and spend time grilling dinner (it’s a bonus if it’s for the whole family). Then, close the day down with a great bourbon or whiskey, get to bed early, and repeat on Sunday!
What’s the one piece of advice you’d like to share with everyone at Slalom?
“Be who you are.” If you can be your authentic self and allow others to do the same, it’s amazing the relationships you’ll build and things you’ll accomplish. And another great piece of advice, as my father told me often: “The one thing you have that you can always rely on is your word.” Do everything with integrity.