What stands out about CRA for me is the quality of their people. More than a decade ago, we established a relationship with the firm’s Managing Partner and quickly expanded beyond his capacity to fulfill all our needs. Every time we meet a new Partner or Managing Director at CRA we are impressed with the knowledge they bring and disappointed we haven’t worked with them before. They are the deepest talent development practice that we know of, and we rely on them for our hardest challenges.
Global Head of Leadership Development,
Fortune 50 financial services company
Working and collaborating with CRA is better than exhaustive benchmarking. You sit—brain cells to brain cells, experiences to experiences—to discuss and determine what’s best for your organization … knowing full well that you’re benefitting from the knowledge and enthusiasm of an experienced colleague who knows what works in your company, the internal communications venue, and the business world even better than you do. Their approach is different. While every consulting firm strives for excellence and cutting edge solutions, CRA customizes its plans and tactics to fit your organization’s culture. CRA doesn’t attempt to sell you wingtips if loafers are a better fit.
Senior Director, Corporate Communications,
Fortune 100 food services company
We’ve found CRA to be both tops-down strategic and tactically engaged at every level of our communications efforts. Their commitment to truly understand and integrate their professional experiences and capabilities with our own resources has provided our company with an outstanding communications effort. I’d recommend them in any major, culturally sensitive transformation.
VP, Strategic Programs, Fortune 50 technology company
CRA approaches leadership development and coaching in a way that both benefits those that participate directly, as well as the broader organization that the participants come from. We have rave reviews from participants in the programs CRA has facilitated for us, and the results in personal feedback and customer feedback speak for themselves. Their people have a unique way of connecting with others and helping people realize and achieve their full potential.
Executive Vice President,
Fortune 100 financial services company
In my 20+ years working with and for the world’s most admired consultancies CRA offers the greatest consistency of extraordinary insight. They offer practical solutions that always hit the mark, immediately driving value.
Vice President, Leadership & Organization Effectiveness,
multi-billion dollar technology company
They’re smart … scary smart about corporate communications. Each member has a wealth of knowledge and experience that enables them to quickly diagnose any communications situation and more importantly, bring unique and effective solutions to the table that always work. They’re true partners to their clients, not vendors, and they place unrelenting focus and value on creating long-term relationships that stand the test of time.
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer,
leading regional health care provider
CRA’s approach is founded on significant data and research, and the work we’ve done with CRA around leadership communication, based on their Admired Leader Behaviors research and best practices, has added tremendous value to our organization and the results we’re achieving on our transformation initiatives. Their people are easy to work with, very competent and capable, and confident in their point of view of what is the right thing to do and how it should be done. But never arrogant … always humble and collaborative.
Director, Change Accelleration,
industry-leading networking company
CRA was instrumental in helping us fill a need for specialized talent on our communications team. After months of searching on our own, we contracted with CRA, who presented a series of outstanding candidates. From a comprehensive client interview to fully understand our company, our culture, and specific needs for the position, to detailed reference checking – CRA made all the difference. We are now well on our way driving a new company strategy through improved communication.
Sr. Director, Communications, Change & Diversity, global hotel management firm
My CRA consultant become my teacher, mentor, and confidant. She knew when to push, when to cajole, and when to sympathize. Her advice was practical and useful. Our resulting communication plan drove the project in proactive and positive ways—and ensured our ultimate success. The focus is always on my needs and those of my team, and I can rely on CRA 100% to respond in a timely manner. All services and work products are consistently of the highest quality and customized to my specific requirements. Program Director, Electronic Content and Records Management, My working relationship with CRA has developed into a partnership. I’m heard and also hear them, and it’s a truly good thing. When issues arise or when we run across a difficult problem, the CRA team is always there to back me and my team up. The experience they have with so many different organizations helps me tremendously and the best practices and lessons learned are easily transferable to what my team and I want to accomplish. CRA brings together the right mix of talent to make sure we get what we need. It’s strategic planning and execution at its best. It works. Director of Internal Communications,
They say it’s lonely at the top, but it doesn’t have to be. My CRA coaching partner is a significant force in helping me lead my organization toward our vision. She has become my most trusted advisor, allowing me to grow in self awareness, strategically adopt new behaviors and feel that I have someone whose sole objective is to help me reach my goals. CEO, top-ranked regional health system
It’s clear that CRA’s goal is to educate its clients up front and enable them to sustain effective communications long after CRA has left, thus minimizing the need or dependency on CRA in ongoing day-to-day communication efforts. CRA employees are very professional, capable and collaborative, and work with you in an honest manner versus trying to tell you what you want to hear. It’s obvious that part of their integrity is to do what is truly right for the client. Vice President, Business Transformation, CRA’s approach is well grounded in communications research, theory, and best practice but eminently pragmatic and practical. I have been particularly impressed with the CRA team’s ability to quickly read and analyze an organization’s distinctive culture and personality—what makes the organization tick. As a result, CRA’s advice and counsel is more strategic and tailored … I’ve never felt that I was being handed an off-the-shelf, generic set of recommendations. VP of Corporate Affairs and Director of Global Communications, Working with CRA is a proven solution—you know that when you engage them you will get highly competent professionals with deep leadership, strategy and communication expertise. They approach problems comprehensively—not just solving the issue in front of them, but improving the organization. Ultimately, you know that they are going to deliver on what they say they are going to do. The expertise that they bring to the organization is unique. Very few companies bring this type of expertise to the table. Additionally, CRA blends into our organization—they can function like a member of the team. That’s their goal—to provide expert solutions through a seamless experience. Chief Information Officer, The team I had the pleasure to interact with was professional, smart, well trained and got a fast handle on the issues that we needed to address. They surgically delivered their services in an efficient manner. The best part was that they actually followed up and kept the communication lines opened. They did not just show up, deliver, and then disappear. They understand what the exit criteria are for the services they are retained for. The delivery is flawless, even with their junior consultants. And they follow up with their clients. Added value all the way. Operations Director, One of CRA’s key differentiators is the clear research-based advice given by its consultants. Their knowledge of the dynamics of communication and change is, in my view, unsurpassed. We relied heavily on our CRA consultants because they knew how to effect the global change we wanted and the science behind that process. Moreover, they wanted to teach us their methodologies so that we could apply them ourselves without their continued involvement. So we received world-class advice that we could leverage forever throughout our company. On top of that, they were fun to work with; highly skilled people who were committed to service and went out of their way to help us in ways that went beyond the boundaries of the assignment. I would hire them again in a heartbeat. Global Director of Quality, The true measure of success for a relationship with a leadership/talent develop organization is how much impact the methods have and for how long. The CRA approach is not a one-time learning session that you employ until the next leadership trend comes along. The principles are built from studies of long-term success and are presented directly, without the need for trite packaging. As a result, our organization constantly refers to our CRA materials which constantly help direct the manner in which we strategize about our business. I have participated in dozens of leadership development seminars and workshops in which much of the knowledge begins to wane almost immediately. CRA is different by the fact that their approach provides memorable experiences that make for easy reference points and an unforgettable learning experience. VP of Human Resources, We have worked with CRA for more than 15 years for a reason: they provide us with an approach and quality we cannot find elsewhere, even at the biggest and most prestigious consulting firms. I have never seen a smarter group of people who simply know their business like the team at CRA. We are grateful to have found their help and are better for having executed on their advice. Management Committee Member and Head of Capital Markets, My candidate experience with CRA was exceptional. Nancy Voith’s deep understanding of her client’s needs made all the difference in helping me truly understand both the opportunities and challenges of the role. She was responsive and realistic and always focused on presenting information in a factual and fair way. Senior Vice President of Communications and Marketing,
Fortune 50 chemical company
national health care insurer and provider
national water utility
global food and agricultural company
Fortune 100 quick-service restaurant company
international chemical company
international consulting company
national education company
Fortune 100 financial services company
Major global staffing orgaization