Management consultants often grapple with the challenge of articulating what they do while simultaneously questioning if what they do truly matters. Watch this episode for 6 takeaways you need to know about meaning and purpose in consulting.
We Discuss:
- What do consultants even do?
- Why do people struggle to explain what consultants do?
- Is it enough to just be doing it for the money?
- Are consultants who claim to be purely focused on delivering value being genuine?
- Why do some consultants get stuck in unfulfilling roles?
- How can consultants maintain perspective and avoid getting lost in the 'consulting vortex'?
- Why do those who leave consulting ('out' in 'up or out') often end up happier?
Key Highlights:
- Consultants often struggle to explain what they do, as evidenced by a particular Reddit post. This leads to deeper questions about professional identity and purpose. (00:02:45)
- Initial responses to "what do consultants do?" tend to be either overly generic or unnecessarily complex, highlighting a broader communication challenge in the industry. (00:02:59)
- Consulting roles span a wide spectrum - from hiring smart individuals as "warm bodies" to bringing in entire teams for specific strategic outcomes, making it difficult to provide a simple definition. (00:07:24)
- Many consultants start their careers focused on monetary gains, but later struggle with questions of purpose and value, leading to existential crises. (00:13:50)
- Early-career consultants often chase financial rewards, but this motivation evolves as they advance, forcing them to choose between constant progression and work-life balance. (00:18:44)
- Consulting work can be highly abstract compared to tangible professions (like construction), making it harder to see concrete results and feel fulfilled. (00:33:26)
- The conversation addresses the "up or out" culture in consulting and how some people who leave ("out") often end up happier than those who keep pursuing advancement ("up"). (00:44:36)
- Emphasis on the importance of daily reflection and journaling to maintain perspective and avoid getting lost in the consulting "vortex." (00:37:28)
- Modern work culture has internalized destructive motivations, making people push themselves beyond healthy limits ("hustle culture"). (00:41:06)
- The conversation touches on "hedonic adaptation" - the constant moving of goalposts for success and happiness in consulting careers. (00:43:07)
- Many who exit the traditional consulting career path often find more happiness, though they couldn't see this while still "on the ride." (00:45:18)
6 Takeaways:
- Difficulty explaining consulting roles often reveals deeper career doubts and questions of purpose.
- The broad range of consulting work makes it hard to define succinctly, leading to oversimplified or overcomplicated descriptions.
- Unlike tangible professions, consulting's abstract nature can leave practitioners feeling disconnected and unfulfilled.
- Starting careers for money without reflection leads to endless goal-shifting and diminishing satisfaction.
- The "up or out" culture traps many in unfulfilling paths, while those who leave often find unexpected happiness.
- Modern consulting culture has internalized self-destructive behaviors as necessary for success.
To read the Reddit threads that we are reacting to in this episode, check out these two posts:
