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:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/consulting/comments/1cwp50u/serious_question/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
• https://www.reddit.com/r/consulting/comments/1cwsq6i/i_dont_give_a_fuck_about_business_of_any_kind_but/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button