Credera Promotes John Jacobs to Partner

Credera, a full-service management and technology consulting firm, is pleased to announce the promotion of John Jacobs to Credera’s partner team! In this role, John will focus on client delivery for key Credera accounts and growing the Chicago office.

Prior to joining Credera, John worked as an Architect at USAA, where he developed high-volume online banking applications. He got his start in software development after graduating from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Information and Operations Management, and later earned an MBA from The University of Texas at San Antonio.

In 2007, he joined Credera as a Senior Consultant and was promoted to Partner in 2020. Over his 20-year career, John has developed, architected, and delivered transformational technology platforms across a diverse set of industries including financial services, telecommunications, airline, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, and energy.

In his spare time, John enjoys backpacking, camping, golfing, reading and spending time with his wife Stefanie and their two children, Elizabeth and Justin.

We sat down with John to learn more about his journey to Credera:

What led to your decision to join Credera?

I always knew I wanted to try consulting at some point in my career, but I wasn’t attracted to the style of the Big 5 consulting firms. So, after I graduated, I worked in industry for a few years until I was introduced to Credera in 2007. As I learned about the company, I was really intrigued. The culture instantly stood out as really unique, and I was excited about the potential of joining a smaller firm and being a part of building something great. After several great conversations with Credera leaders, I decided this was the place I wanted to be.

How would you describe your approach to leadership?

I think your effectiveness as a leader is measured by the growth and success of the team. I strive to be a leader who empowers, stretches, and enables people to do really great work on their own, with the help and support they need.

Transparency is also something that’s really important to me. One of the best things you can do as a leader is to give people specific, actionable, real-time feedback – both positive and negative. It really helps accelerate learning and growth.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?

Listen more than you talk.

Early in my career, I felt a lot of pressure to come up with great solutions quickly. But in those situations, I wasn’t really listening to the other person or developing a deep understanding of their needs, which led to some pretty bad outcomes. If you want to help someone, you have to actively listen to their needs, ask questions, and then figure out ways to provide solutions. I learned this the hard way, but I actually think that’s the best way to learn.

What are you most excited about now that you’re a part of the Credera Partner team?

It’s a threefold answer. First, I’m really excited about the next stage of Credera’s growth – we’re expanding geographically and adding new capabilities, so I’m really excited about where we’re headed as a firm. But while we grow, we need to stay true to the core of who we are. I’m looking forward to digging those roots in deeper and continuing to bring excellent solutions to our clients as new trends and technologies emerge. And lastly, I’m excited about investing in our culture. It’s truly our secret sauce, so as we grow and add new people to the firm, I want to make sure they’re extending that great culture.

For additional information about Credera, please visit the Our Firm page.

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