How surfing is similar to MBB consulting?
Consulting is a very complex profession. It requires you to learn multiple skills and apply them in dynamic situations. Having a great coaching support you can give you an unfair advantage.
Last month I went surfing with my friends in Bali.
It’s not like I am a big surfer or something. It was just a good excuse to get together with my friends, whom I worked with at McKinsey (we’re the ones standing with boards in the picture). All of them were distinctive consultants. And I was their mentor, which is something I’m particularly proud of.
Here’s one thing I noticed there.
You know, at the beach, they have local guys who provide coaching services. For $50, you can rent a board and get 1 hour of their coaching.
The service they provide is very simple. You go in the water with them. You lie down on the board. When the wave comes, they push your board and scream, "Stand up, stand up." That’s it.
Last year, when I surfed there, I hired these coaches. It was the same spot. I have to tell you, the experience was quite painful. It took me three days just to stand on the board, let alone to surf properly.
I learned my lessons and decided to take a different approach this year.
I enrolled in a 10-day surfing camp provided by professional coaches from a well-known surfing school.
The difference was huge!
Professional coaches provided personalized and nuanced advice. Each person made tiny mistakes that prevented them from standing up and surfing well. The coaches taught different techniques and concepts to address these specific mistakes.
For example, my main mistake was trying to stand up too quickly, which didn’t allow me to stabilize correctly, and I lost my balance.
I rushed because I felt pressured by hearing “Stand up, stand up.” I thought I had to do it fast. But that was precisely the opposite of what I needed to do.
One of the coaches approached me and explained my mistake. And like a miracle, I could stand up effortlessly on the next wave.
In addition, at the end of each surfing day, we watched videos of surfing to analyze our mistakes. This made a huge difference and reinforced my learning even further.
As a result, I could stand up on the board on the first day. And then, I could enjoy 10 days of surfing, focusing on learning more advanced techniques in more difficult spots.
Well, why am I telling you this story, you might wonder?
I couldn’t help but notice the striking similarities between surfing and consulting.
Surfing is a complex skill. It requires good physical conditioning and flexibility, which I lacked this time. But it’s also very technical. Tiny mistakes can lead to massive struggles.
In these conditions, the right coaching can make a huge difference.
Once again, I was reminded of simple but powerful wisdom.
The right coaching is a cheat code to success.
In consulting, you can experience the same challenges.
You hear lots of generic advice, resembling local surfing guys screaming, “Stand up, stand up,” which is trivial and not very helpful. It seems so simple for them. They wonder why you struggle with basic things.
But the consulting profession is much more nuanced. You have your own strengths and weaknesses. To succeed, you need a personalized and structured approach. You need someone experienced to unlock your performance and get you to the next level.
Then, you can 'surf' in your consulting profession more confidently and truly enjoy working.
But getting qualified coaches can be quite difficult in consulting.
At least, at my time as a consultant, this coaching approach was not easily available.
That is why, to support MBB consultants, I developed a coaching program to help you achieve high performance.
If you are an MBB consultant sick of struggling with performance and development, I would like to speak with you.
Book a Free 1-1 Consultation to discuss whether I can help you with my coaching program. There is no commitment, and you can ask any pressing questions in a risk-free environment.
Read this post to learn more about the Hero’s Journey coaching program.
You know, I focus on a very narrow segment:
- active MBB consultants (generalists);
- experienced hires;
- post-MBA or post-PhD;
- in their 30s;
- second-year consultants (>12 months tenure);
- in good standing (no negative rating);
You joined MBB Consulting to radically change your career. You can't afford to fail and waste your time.
This narrow specialization allows me to provide very precise and tangible advice to these consultants to accelerate time to impact.