Expectation 2: Working in management consulting means I will learn, grow and be challenged
This article is part of an ongoing series that examines expectations vs reality of working in a consulting firm. Read the first article in the series.
The expectation vs the reality
Learning new skills and improving oneself is an essential factor driving satisfaction at work. There is nothing more satisfying than being able to achieve something that previously felt out of reach. Working as a management consultant on project-based work can mean consultants often work with new content, new clients, and new situations that put their skills and capabilities to the test.
This article focuses on management consultants’ expectations around the skills they will develop and how those expectations are met and supported by consulting firms.
The expectation
Recruitment processes and previous experience being ‘the client’ set an expectation of diverse work and personal growth
Incoming management consultants expect to learn and grow through the diversity of work and clients. Consultants expect to be constantly exposed to new topics and challenges and to develop skills and capabilities to succeed in consulting and beyond. They expect to work in a blend of sectors, across a range of content and develop a wide breadth of skills. One month a consultant might be working in financial services developing a pricing strategy using data analytical skills. The following month it could be public sector service design using qualitative research skills.
“I joined consulting because I wanted a breadth of functional experience.” Consultant, South East Asia
“I wanted to be able to do as many projects as possible — to have broad exposure in the quickest amount of time.” Senior Manager, Australia & New Zealand
They expect that the work will be intellectually challenging, rigorous and thorough — working to deliver value for clients.
“What excited me most about it was the size of the projects, the things they were working on — they sold it as turning these massive ships around. I wanted that — I wanted something that was intellectually hard.” Manager, Australia & New Zealand
“I like the intellectual challenge of work — so that was the primary concern.” Consultant, South East Asia
The interview process was a crucial way in which future consultants form expectations about the work they do and the nature of the problems they will solve. Many talked about the warm, intelligent people they met in the interview process. They felt energised and excited to work at the firm and be surrounded by high-calibre colleagues.
“My final step was an interview with a woman who is now one of the most senior partners. I was so impressed by her — and others — I thought, if this is the calibre of person I get to work with then this could be the right move.” Manager, Australia & New Zealand
Others were inspired to join consulting firms, having worked with management consultants as the ‘client’ in a previous role. Being a client meant they got the chance to see close up what consulting looked like, the type of work they might do and the skills they might develop.
“Interacting with consulting firms in past projects, I really saw how they delivered and articulated things. I saw my own capability gaps that I wanted to fill.” Manager, Australia & New Zealand
The lived experience
Consulting firms provide breadth and intellectual stimulation
Generally, management consultants find there is substantial breadth in the work they do in consulting firms. Consultants talk about ‘being thrown in at the deep end’ where they need to upskill rapidly in new subject areas, skill sets and client contexts. Generally, the breadth is something that consultants relish and an expectation that firms meet time after time.
“You get to be working on very diverse projects. I’ve worked on six projects and they’re all completely different.” Consultant, South East Asia
“One of my [previous] managers who’d worked in a management consulting firm mentioned that it’s a good opportunity to develop teamwork and collaboration.” Manager, Australia & New Zealand
Clients engage consulting firms to tackle their most difficult problems (if they were easy there would be no need to hire outside experts). This translates to consulting work that is intellectually stimulating and exciting.
“I really wanted to be there and read a guidance doc and write my notes because I was learning.” Consultant, Australia & New Zealand
Team members are critical to learning new things and feeling supported
The team members that others got to work with were a key area for growth. The fluid nature of consulting means that consultants tend to work with new and different team members for each project. This means that they are exposed to the skills, experience and working styles that other team members bring to the challenge at hand. It can be rewarding to learn from others and collaboratively solve a problem using the skills that each person brings to the table.
“You are surrounded by smartest people you will get a chance to encounter…whether their EQ is high — that’s a separate thing.” Consultant, South East Asia
However, even though consultants will work with many different people within the firm, they sometimes find that there is a lack of variation in their problem solving approaches. This may be due to their similar educational backgrounds or long tenure within the firm. It leads to a feeling of homogeneity where there is less ‘new thinking’ and more emphasis on tried and tested methods. The rapid timeframes and intense pressure under which consultants work can exacerbate this as it is safer to stick to what has always worked rather than experiment with something new.
“There’s a lack of diversity of experience … The ‘lifers’ have been there since they were a grad. They’ve probably done a lot of interesting projects but the firm is in their blood.” Senior manager, Australia & New Zealand
Moreover, the team environment must be well managed, otherwise the experience can feel stressful and unsupported. The perception is that management consulting firms tend to recruit and promote based on intellectual horsepower. The flipside of this approach means that interpersonal skills, like emotional intelligence, can be deprioritised compared to other more immediately valuable skills such as data analytics, presentation skills, creating PowerPoint slides and report writing. While skills around teamwork were viewed as important by research participants, due to the high pressure and fast time frames in which consultants work, it is often easy for interpersonal skills to take a back seat to a singular focus on getting the work done.
The fast pace can make learning feel unsustainable or unaligned with consultants’ own goals
Considering the pace of consulting, consultants can feel that there is not enough time and space to upskill when faced with a new challenge. This can create a stressful environment. Consultants have to learn something (e.g. the ins and outs of a new industry, how to build a financial model, how to facilitate a senior leadership training program) while delivering value to the client. Jumping from project to project can also make it challenging to absorb the lessons learnt on previous projects.
“I’ve learnt the most when I’ve been the most uncomfortable. There have been some definite skills learnt, for example, using excel effectively, showing data effectively, pulling together a story in a visual medium like PowerPoint. You develop those more than you might in another job.” Consultant, South East Asia
While the breadth of learning is exciting and rewarding, it can be difficult when it feels as if consultants are staffed on projects without getting to decide if that fits best with their development needs. This can happen at any stage in someone’s consulting career but is most prevalent for consultants who have a clearer picture about the type of work they find the most rewarding and want to focus on that area. As consultants become more senior, they often feel pressure to establish an area of expertise so they can win work for the firm in this industry area.
“Am I learning things? I guess. Do I want to learn these things? Probably not …Maybe? Do I really have a choice?” Manager, South East Asia
Internal processes can feel like a distraction from doing good work
There are elements of the job that feel like distractions from doing good work. Research participants consistently raised frustrations with internal administration tasks, such as completing timesheets and claiming expenses. Consulting typically involves considerable travel and consultants are required to submit receipts to claim expenses for related items like meals and transportation in most parts of the world. Timesheets are critical for tracking the number of hours consultants spend on projects as this forms the basis for tracking the profitability of projects. Consultants, however, resent completing them and see the task as a time sink, often due to the firm’s processes or outdated software.
“Timesheets. Expenses. The processes… I think that’s my biggest frustration coming to the private sector.” Senior Manager, Australia & New Zealand
In conclusion: the steep learning curve means consultants need support to deliver their best work
Management consulting has all of the characteristics to support growth, including exciting and challenging projects, access to expertise, and applying learning directly in your work. However, the possibility is not always realised as the pace of work makes it challenging to work collaboratively on solutions and reflect on learning in anticipation of the next project.
In the next article from HoC, we will unpack another set of expectations consultants have about working in management consulting firms and continue to share more findings from the ongoing research.
If you would like more information on the project or to be involved as a research participant, please reach out at hello@humansofconsulting.com.
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