Part 11 of 13 of my series on the profession of management consulting

Whatever stage you are in your consulting career, be it as an analyst or a principal, more often than not you will be looking to eventually move upwards. (Or out, completely up to you.) You should know that unlike other industries, promotions in the most respected consulting agencies are based on your ability to further your development and to realize your potential. But regardless of whether you work at an agency or as a freelancer, as the industry you work in grows and evolves, so should your skills and talents.

No one’s perfect

While it’s true that there are plenty of people out there that are more inclined to make fantastic consultants, very few of them are perfect from the get-go. No matter what some may say, natural talent will only get you so far. The fact of the matter is that being a perfect consultant is a pretty unnatural state of being. Effective consultants confront conflicts instead of avoiding them, they walk away from easy money to preserve their integrity as well as those of their clients and they also see the value in making a client uncomfortable if they feel it’s for the better good.

Encourage your growth

Consultants working for top-tier practices have the luxury of having a work environment that will monitor their evolutions and guide them them down the right paths. But even if you haven’t had the chance to enjoy such a privilege, there are still a few things that will help you grab your career by the horns and help yourself grow. Consider doing some of the following:

• Find a mentor or coach
  Sometimes we need an external pair of eyes to give us perspective on our lives. Think about asking your boss or a senior co-worker about helping you find your way. Pairing up with a mentor is a great way to point out the flaws you don’t want to admit to and suggest ways you can improve.


• Pursue activities that will stretch you
  Ruts can be very seductive. With routine comes comfort and often at times, easy money. But if you don’t pursue mandates that are just outside of your comfort zone, you will never build on your skill set or reputation. Remember, conquering new domains is a great way to build your confidence and to give you the drive to take on bigger, and more visible, challenges.


• Don’t set goals without a time-frame
  It’s easy to say that you will aim to lose five pounds, it’s another thing to say to lose five pounds in two weeks. Putting goals in the context of a time-frame will give you an indication if you are drifting off schedule or are heading for trouble. Deadlines also make goals real by forcing you to plan on how to accomplish them.


• See failure as an opportunity
  The old adage is true: if at first you don’t succeed, try try again. Not every project will be a success - but that doesn’t mean you can’t build on them or gain confidence from them. Lessons learned are the cornerstone of every consultant’s career. From failures you can identify areas to work on and things to avoid in the future.


• Do it continuously, but don’t go overboard
  Career growth, at least for management consultants, is less like a diet, and more like a lifestyle choice - it never really ends. While like anything, this can go to extremes. Always listen to your heart. There is pushing your limits and going against your own values and nature. The idea here is to grow and shape and not to warp and mutate.