ZERO To HERO Journey (use for navigation)
I bet every consultant wants to be a superstar. Nobody wants to be an average. And yet, most consultants get stuck at the average level. Getting to a higher level is not a trivial problem.
Consulting can be a fantastic profession.
It can provide unparalleled career opportunities and unforgettable experiences.
But people can have radically different experiences in consulting.
Superstars and average performers live in two different worlds.
One World is a fantastic place with impactful projects and great leaders.
Another one is a dark world with meaningless work and a dog-eat-dog culture.
I have experienced both worlds and wouldn't wish anyone to live in the second one.
When I was a consultant, I struggled with my performance.
I would receive an average rating in one cycle and then a higher one in another.
My performance was dependent on еxternal circumstances.
I could only achieve higher performance when working with exceptional people.
I thought that this was a normal situation.
That's what consulting looks and feels like.
Messy, grinding, and miserable.
I didn’t know I had to aim higher.
Now, I realize that I missed out by not achieving a higher rating.
Who knows how many opportunities I have missed? What could my trajectory have looked like?
But there is a better way to work.
You must transform from a Zero to a Hero state.
What is the ZERO to HERO journey?
Consultants have a vague understanding of their ideal journey in the first couple of years.
They know that they need to get promoted at certain time windows. But, they hear conflicting expectations of what they must do.
They poorly understand their current performance level. They understand only two distinct states: they miserably fail or constantly struggle.
But they have no idea how to perform very well.
That is why I defined the Zero-to-Hero Journey. To help consultants clearly understand their optimal journey in the first few years.
This guide helps you not just survive but also thrive in the consulting profession.
If you are an MBB consultant and want to achieve high performance, book a free 1-1 consultation to discuss how exactly I can help you. There is no commitment and you can ask any burning questions you might have.
A ZERO State - A Very Uncomfortable Place
A Zero State is when consultants work with average performance.
Partners say that getting an Average rating is already a big achievement. The bar is so high that you should be proud of even making it.
But why don’t you feel very proud?
Being average is extremely uncomfortable in MBB firms.
They are the ultimate meritocracies and extremely competitive.
They disproportionately reward high performers.
Average consultants have to scrap for leftovers.
But the harsh reality is:
For average performance, you get average treatment, limited opportunities, and mediocre experiences.
First, average consultants won’t get the best choice of projects.
These cool projects you want so much, in sustainability, private equity, digital business building, strategy, etc., are always in high demand and available only to high performers.
Additionally, the best leaders prefer to work with high performers.
So, access to the best sponsors is limited.
On top of that, negative emotions overwhelm consultants: anxiety, stress, imposter syndrome, and feelings of not being good enough.
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Negative feelings creep in and poison your personal lives.
They affect relationships with close ones.
It's hard to enjoy life when you do not feel enough at work.
A HERO State - A Place Where You Can Enjoy Yourself
“You can shape your own path in consulting...” - you can hear from your leaders.
“… if you are a high-performing superstar.” - they don’t tell you this unspoken truth.
High performers experience better treatment and have better opportunities.
The most significant benefit is the high staffing demand.
They can choose the best projects and have multiple offers, even during economic slowdowns.
Consequently, the best projects provide better chances of success. Better leadership, clients, content topics, and teammates. These good factors feed into a positive feedback loop of development.
Their confidence becomes much stronger.
High demand and better confidence make them believe in themselves. Partners and clients read these confident vibes and trust them more.
This is a fantastic feeling—the best position to be in.
When consultants learn to outperform, they unlock new levels of better learning and experience.
How to get to the HERO state
There are three main stages of achieving high performance.
I. STABILIZE
II. ACCELERATE
III. OUTPERFORM
Each stage has its own key milestones and critical skills.
It’s essential to master these critical skills at each stage.
Additionally, I categorize the critical skills into five dimensions:
1. Problem-solving
2. Career management
3. Operating model
4. Client management
5. Leadership and mindset
These skills are similar to the development models you might have in your firms, but my structure is much simpler and more oriented to benefit you.
We put these stages and dimensions together into a coherent framework.
This framework fully illustrates your Zero-to-Hero journey.
I use this framework to structure the content of this newsletter. You can self-diagnose your current stage in this journey and read all the relevant materials to progress in your career.
Let’s discuss each stage one by one.
I. STABILIZE
This is a stage when consultants have just joined the firm.
It takes a few months to understand how the consulting profession works.
At this stage, consistent staffing is the most difficult challenge.
This time is essential to jump-start your development process, and any delays will negatively affect your overall development journey.
Another critical skill at this stage is making high-quality slides. Learning to do it faster and better will help you get ahead of the pack.
Key milestones
Completing the first performance review with an Average rating
Completing 2-3 projects with no significant failures
Becoming staffable on your own when reputation starts working for you
Colleagues are providing positive feedback with no significant red flags
Critical skills
II. ACCELERATE
This is the stage where most of the consulting toolkit should be learned. To be honest, there is a lot to learn.
If consultants fail to develop specific toolkit elements, it will hinder their progress.
For example, I couldn't progress beyond this stage because I had accumulated glaring gaps in slide-creating skills resulting from under-apprenticeship and a lack of coaching.
I didn't know that and couldn’t understand what was happening. I thought I was not smart enough, but in reality, I lacked basic technical training.
Moreover, at this stage, it’s essential to learn career management skills, understand how your firm operates, how the evaluation process works, how to navigate work politics, and how to build a strong support group.
This is typically the hardest part to master, especially for introverted people with technical backgrounds.
For example, I was completely oblivious to that dimension, but without proactive career management, getting to the higher tier is nearly impossible.
Key milestones
Achieved higher ratings or got very close to this level
Completed 5-7 projects, different types and industries
Built a strong staffing demand (multiple staffing bids)
Enthusiastic feedback from colleagues
Critical skills
III. OUTPERFORM
This is the most complex stage.
At this stage, you must orchestrate multiple sophisticated skills. The hardest part is consistently getting a higher rating, review after review.
Consultants who achieve this stage become invincible. They can outperform in different projects, industries, clients, and leadership roles. This allows them to become truly independent from external circumstances.
The main success factor here is the support of highly enthusiastic leaders.
At this stage, consultants can already work effectively. It's mostly about finding the energy and motivation to push beyond average.
The best example to explain this stage is the training of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Their coaches can’t teach them how to play football, but players still need coaches to ensure they perform at their peak levels.
The work becomes about the consistency of delivering high-level outcomes. Developing a highly dynamic and fast-paced operating model.
Key milestones
Consistent rating of two or even one
Highest demand for staffing, when partners fight to get you staffed
Powerful, extensive sponsorship group that bangs the table for you.
Critical skills
Final Thoughts
Consultants can spend years and years learning consulting skills. But not all skills are equally critical for achieving a Hero state.
I aim to define and teach the essential skills in the Zero-to-Hero journey, charting the most effective path to success.
If you are an MBB consultant sick of struggling with performance, this is where I can help you.
The consulting journey is complex and treacherous.
Walking it alone is extremely difficult. It’s helpful to have the support of someone experienced (me, wink wink) who has gone through 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.
Great article. Very interesting and demanding topic. I think it’s very useful, and resonates with current challenges that I face at one of MBB firms.
This is a really great post and a very practical set of resources too. Some relevant here for independent consultants - worth a read!