The First Year in Consulting is The Most Difficult
The First Year in Consulting is The Most Difficult
My first year in consulting was terrible. I know exactly how you feel. That is why I write this newsletter, to help consultants to have better experience.
Consultants experience a steep learning curve.
They must re-learn how to work, think, and speak. The industry operates by completely different rules, principles, and lingo.
As an experienced hire, that was a tough adjustment for me.
I felt stressed, overwhelmed, and anxious. I thought that I was not cut out for this job.
I felt confused. The job expectations were unclear, and they changed from partner to partner. I had no idea what I needed to do.
I felt alone. I had no one to share my challenges with. Once, I shared my struggles with my evaluator only to find my words verbatim in my evaluation papers.
I also felt alone and had no one to share my challenges with. Once, I shared my struggles with my evaluator, only to find my words written verbatim in my review papers. I quickly learned not to do that again.
Everyone else seemed to be fine, but I was struggling a lot.
I did get promoted to manager, but I endured unnecessary suffering to get there.
Then, I met two people who changed my work life.
1. Alex
He was a superstar consultant.
He was a proper nerd. I remember hearing office legends about him. Once, he took the GMAT test on a bet with his friends. He prepared only a few days and got a 780 score (99 percentile). He didn’t even plan to apply for an MBA.
He worked at an unimaginable level, creating impeccable documents. Partners and clients adored him.
I was his manager on a project. Despite that, I ate my ego and asked him to teach me his secrets.
Luckily, we became good friends. Throughout the project, he taught me his tips and tricks.
Surprisingly, his playbook was not rocket science, but it was counterintuitive. Once you know it, it’s easy to implement, even if you don’t feel like a talented genius.
Alex’s lessons helped me to achieve a step change in my performance. It was an overnight transformation (almost three months, really). It felt great to get rid of all the inefficiencies and bad habits.
2. Tim
He was a superstar manager. He also had a sharp mind and was a brilliant problem-solver. Maybe the smartest guy I met in the firm.
His unique spike was building fantastic relationships with senior leaders and clients.
He was a senior manager two years ahead, while I was just designated. We worked on parallel projects for the same client.
He helped me with career management skills, explained how the firm operated, and rallied leadership support for my promotion.
Interestingly, I had known Tim for a few years before. But he started helping me only when I improved my performance after implementing Alex's playbook.
In hindsight, I understand that Tim did this only because I became valuable to him. In a way, Alex helped to unlock Tim's relationship.
Consequently, Tim unlocked relationships with senior partners. This helped me understand their needs and how to become useful to them. It also taught me how to ask for help.
I am forever grateful to both Alex and Tim.
They taught me unspoken rules and best practices—the ones that you can only get through true supporters, who are so hard to find.
But once I learned them, executing them was relatively easy.
Soon enough, I managed to become a high-performing manager. Something I couldn't dream of before.
It was the first time I started enjoying myself in consulting. I became in high demand. I could shape my career trajectory by selecting projects I liked.
It felt fantastic!
But a few questions kept bothering me.
What if I had been taught these practices earlier? What would have happened to my career trajectory? How much upside did I miss?
What if I teach these practices to my teams? How would it affect their performance and career trajectories?
Fast forward a few years.
I taught these 'secrets' to consultants who worked on my teams.
Together, we sharpened that playbook, structured it, and made it more cohesive.
I was surprised to see how fast consultants can grow by learning this playbook with only a fraction of the stress and friction.
In hindsight, I’m frustrated by the ‘sink or swim' culture that dominates the industry (especially during tough economic times).
New consultants are often placed in an unfair position. The lack of projects doesn’t allow them to develop very fast.
Many have to leave early without capitalizing on the unique opportunity to work in an MBB firm.
That is why I write this newsletter: to give consultants a fighting chance and to compensate for gaps in development and coaching.
This newsletter follows a specific structure.
The best way to start reading this newsletter is with the Zero to Hero Journey post.
It creates an excellent mental structure for an ideal consultant’s journey in the first 24 months. This newsletter's content is structured according to the specific steps of this journey.
Also, when you read this newsletter, I encourage you to focus on two key development priorities.
1. Stop The Productivity Bleeding
First-year consultants often stand in their way by making many simple mistakes.
Some best practices can reduce the number of these mistakes. Then, they can focus on creating content and building momentum.
This is what Alex taught me.
The best articles to start reading:
2. Manage Your Career Proactively
Navigating firm bureaucracy and politics is often harder than client work. But without it, it would be difficult to become a high-performing consultant.
So, it is a necessary evil that you need to learn.
This is what Tim taught me. Not just how to survive but how to thrive in consulting.
The best articles to start reading:
The consulting profession can be a fantastic place for learning and development.
But navigating its complexities and requirements is difficult. The ‘Up or Out’ policy applies unbearable pressure to perform fast. If you can find people who can help you navigate, your chances of success will increase dramatically.
If you are an MBB consultant and want to achieve high performance, I would like to speak with you.
Book a Free 1-1 Consultation to discuss whether I can help you through my unique coaching program and playbook. There is no commitment, and you can ask me any burning questions in a risk-free environment.
Read this post to learn more about the Hero’s Journey coaching program.
Hey Ryan. Wasn’t sure how to contact you, so thought I’d leave a comment! Would you be interested in collaborating for an article (for my biz brain one)?