When I joined McKinsey at 34, I had a family and two kids...
MBB consulting is extremely difficult. It's challenging to make it sustainable, especially if you have a family and kids. You make a big sacrifice, make it count.
How do you make a consulting job sustainable if you have a family and kids?
Consultants often ask me this difficult question.
I will be honest with you.
It didn't work well for me. It wasn't very sustainable.
I worked extremely hard, long hours, weekends, the whole package. I often traveled to different countries for weeks and months.
Basically, I missed a few years of watching my kids grow up.
Yes, it was a big sacrifice.
But, here is the thing.
MBB consulting is not an ordinary job.
Work-life balance is hardly achievable, especially in the first few years.
To succeed, you must go all in.
Nobody forced me. My ambition and motivation pushed me.
I needed to boost my career, and the job had delivered on the promise. It allowed me to acquire unique experiences and build critical skills.
But now, I can spend much more time with my family.
So, if you are an MBB consultant, remember it’s not forever.
These can be the most productive years of your career.
Maybe it's okay to work hard for a few years.
But to make them count, you must learn to perform well to capitalize on your sacrifices, and realize the full potential of this job.
The consulting journey is complex and treacherous. Walking it alone is extremely difficult.
It’s helpful to have the support of someone who has experienced this journey and helped many others.
That is why I developed a coaching program for MBB consultants to help them achieve high performance and become successful.
If you are an MBB consultant and 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 through my coaching program. There is no commitment, and you can ask any burning questions in a risk-free environment.
Read this post to learn more about the Hero’s Journey coaching program.
Choose your tradeoffs, but not forever. Whether in business or life, I think that's the central point behind 'whether I should do X or Y'. Much harder to choose in reality and viewing life as seasons vs a forever choice.
It's something I struggle with, but reading different people's accounts like this give more clarity :)