Larry English, President, Centric Consulting – A Technology and Business Consulting Firm
Before Centric, Larry worked for a large international consulting firm out of college until he got burned out at 25.
Podcast
Overview
2020 pandemic ushered in a new era in the working culture of companies throughout the world. What was considered as just a phase of a few months, has now become a major policy of many organizations? The concept of remote working has led to employees getting to spend quality time with their families, saving on commute time and opportunities beyond geographical constraints.
Today we have Larry English, president of a consulting firm who discovered the power of remote working 20 years ago and has been promoting it through his organization ever since. He shares with us his journey and the benefits of the working model.
About Larry English
Larry English is the president at Centric Consulting, a tech and business consulting firm employing over 1000 employees with a huge presence in the US and India. He is also an author of the book, “Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture with Virtual Teams”. The book came out at the time of the pandemic, as the businesses around the world were going virtual. However, Larry has been working virtually with his employees for over 20 years now.
DISCUSSION
Larry talks about the journey of his consulting firm, which started by incorporating all the good points of several consulting businesses around. He talks about the idea of working remotely for the mental well-being and happiness of the employees, which led to a strong culture and value system in the organization.
Culture & Challenges
He talks about fears of scaling up, as he didn’t want to strip off the healthy organizational culture. But then, he and his team worked on charting out the attributes for hiring new people to maintain the value system of the company. Larry emphasises the importance of treating the company culture with the same care as a business strategy.
Technology & Remote Working
A strong believer in the idea of remote working, Larry feels technology has enabled us to do it. He feels the overall concept also brings in inclusivity, as companies hire people from different geographies based on their talent.
He says, “When you become digital, there are no boundaries. Tech startups disrupting the world hire people from everywhere.”
He is also fascinated with the idea of exponential technological growth, though he realizes the potential negative things that come with it. He says, “It will continue to put some people out of work and create new opportunities. We have a responsibility to train people for these newer roles.”
Larry also stresses the importance of maintaining human connections despite tremendous technological growth. He says, “We need to connect with people and nature, especially after work, and have discipline. As a manager, we also need to support employees in doing that.”
More About Larry
Larry speaks at great length about his book and the importance of trusting the employees. He speaks on revising the productivity measures. He says, “You cannot measure productivity by how long someone is in the seat. It is what we are getting done.”
Larry recalls his days of midlife crisis and his transformational year’s travel break to think about what he wants to do. He advises young people to listen to themselves while also maintaining nice relationships with people.
Profile
Larry is the author of Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture With Virtual Teams, a roadmap to virtual work success. The book draws on his insights as co founder and president of Centric Consulting, an award-winning business and technology consulting firm that has been remote since its founding more than two decades ago.
Before Centric, Larry worked for a large international consulting firm out of college until he got burned out at 25. He and his newlywed wife backpacked around the world as he tried to find his path in life—and he did. Shortly after returning home, he and his like-minded pals founded Centric with a focus on changing how consulting was done by building a remote company with a mission to create a culture of employee and client happiness.
Today, Centric is a 1,000-plus person company with offices in 12 US cities and India. Larry is father to four boys and husband to an adventurous wife. They reside in Columbus, Ohio. Larry is donating a portion of the royalties he receives from Office Optional to charity.
