I remember calling my boyfriend on the first day that I started my Consulting career. I had just completed my MBA and joined a Big-4 Consulting firm. I was at the welcome party for new consultants — standing in a corner in tears….

”I can’t do this”….

”it’s too much being OUT there”….

” these guys are such fake extroverts (ugh!)”…

I said between sobs.

I should have been elated but I was SCARED.

Scared of failing at this high-profile jet-setting career that I had always wanted …and now had.

Any guesses for my Myers Briggs personality type? INFJ — Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, and Judging. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice to say, this combination is RARE in Management Consulting.

I decided to take 1 day at a time…….and LOVED it!

On most days, I got a chance to think strategically and solve our clients’ issues around optimization and efficiency. I got to interact with CFOs and CEOs who would never have given me the time of the day had I not been a Consultant. I traveled….and raked up points…..a LOT of points!

And I learned — SO MUCH … SO FAST

I thought I knew it all before I joined Consulting and considered it a wish-wash for the most part. I mean — “I know my content with my Accounting background and Strategy MBA …why do I need to bother about formatting this slide for the 49th time anyway?”

Little did I know how much I would learn! Working across multiple teams and clients taught me SO much about client and account management, running projects and executive presentation……. all the soft skills that are extremely important to be a successful professional.

1 year in Consulting and my friends started noticing how much I had changed

My executive presence grew, as did my problem solving and creative thinking abilities. My personality became more balanced and while I am still introverted, I toned my relationship-building muscle and my confidence skyrocketed.

It wasn’t easy though…

I was unlucky when it came to finding the right mentors, and being an introvert didn’t help much. So, I chose the more tragic path of falling flat on my face and learning after every project. Heck, I didn’t even know what a chevron was when I started so my learning curve has been QUITE steep!

As I grew my career I started noticing a trend….

Especially when it came to talented external hires — people who joined consulting after working elsewhere. Just like me, they struggled to fit in and find the right mentors. A lot of super-talented professionals were working heads down praying they were making the right moves in their client projects and hoping their performance would get noticed.

10 years into management consulting, it’s my turn to give back

What I LOVE about Consulting is, that it has given me the chance to give back by mentoring many new consultants especially external hires, who struggle with asking for help.

What I really wish for though, is a Consulting Manual I could hand out to every new hire, so they don’t take years to learn what it really takes to succeed in Consulting.

That's why.....BYOND GOOD.
Start by going through the posts on Consulting 101. Then let me know at punya@byondgood.com .....what do you want to know about Management Consulting? I'll give you the most non-fluff, direct answer.

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 Punya is a former management consultant with 15 years of experience at 2 Big4 firms, serving top Fortune500 clients. She has lived and worked in 6 countries and changed 3 careers working across several industries. Punya is passionate about coaching new and aspiring Consultants to succeed in Management Consulting.