A Day in the Life of Patrick Kliebert, Senior Consultant

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Ever wondered what a day in the life of one of our consultants is like? This series will give you all the details! Our “Day in the Life” subject is Patrick Kliebert, a Senior Consultant on the Client Services Team, located in Richmond, Virginia. Here’s what a typical day looks like for Patrick.   

Morning 

I’m a creature of habit, so I wake up between 5:00 and 5:30 every morning. Three or four days out of the week I have a group of guys come over and we’ll work out at my home gym in the morning. Whether I work out or not, I always have a couple cups of coffee before work. My wife and I got an espresso machine for our wedding, so I’ve been slowly improving my barista skills.  

I usually work at home, but on Tuesdays I go into the Richmond office to meet with my client team. I have my first standup about an hour into the day. I use the time before standup to get up to speed, check out different project boards, and check in with people outside of those meetings so I have some context on what happened the day before. I don’t like bland status updates, so I try to make these stand ups as conversational as possible. I like to create a prompt for each person in the meeting to make sure I’m engaged with what they’re working on.  

Lunch Time 

When I’m working at home, I eat a very boring at-home meal prep for lunch, nothing too exciting. Since I come into the office every Tuesday, I like to grab lunch with my client team on these days, whether we order lunch to the office or go out to grab something quick. One of our current go to’s is The Continental on Grove.  

Another office tradition we have is working out at the Richmond Kettlebell Club. We do this every Wednesday around lunchtime and it’s a great way to catch up with co-workers outside of work.  

Typically, I work through lunch. During this time, I work on prepping for my next sprint in some way. On Tuesdays in the office, my client team and I will work together on pulling in stories for our next sprint. I try to get some of my work that doesn’t involve other people done during this time so I can focus on other tasks and meetings after lunch. If I have time and it’s nice out, I love to go for a quick walk after I eat.  

Afternoon 

After lunch, I focus on client meetings. This consists of gathering requirements and planning future work. I try to reserve my mornings for things that are important today, and my afternoons for things that will be important looking ahead.  

While I’m working, I like to have a podcast or music playing in the background. What I listen to depends on what kind of work I’m doing so it varies a lot day to day. When I’m typing something up like a deck or a report, I listen to music. My favorite genre is 90’s west coast, hip hop music. I listen to podcasts or audiobooks when I’m working on more numbers-based tasks. 

I like to have a change of scenery halfway through the day, so I’ll head out to my “big office” which is located in my garage. By “big office,” I mean a workbench with a toolbox on top that I have converted into a standing desk. Working out here helps me shift and refresh halfway through the workday. And, if it’s cold out, it wakes me up a little.  

After Work 

I love cooking, so a typical evening for me consists of making dinner for my wife and I. She works later than I do most days, especially if I work from home. Working from home allows me to have an easy transition from work to cooking, which is super nice. One of my favorite things to make is Cajun food. My specialty is a Cajun white wine cream sauce shrimp pasta called “Shrimp Oliver.” It’s my wife’s favorite. I’ll spend the rest of my evening unwinding and we’ll end the day by watching a show or a movie after dinner. 

 

 

About The Author

Patrick is a Senior Consultant on the Client Services Team.