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This might be highly specific to my experience but when I first entered this field 20 years ago a lot of firms were led by giant personalities, visionaries, people you couldn’t help but get excited to work for. Fast forward to today and I look at my firm’s OPICs, service line leaders, etc and I see lifeless tactical managers that offer no inspiration.
Are you me? 25 years ago I felt I was surrounded by leading luminary titans of industry types. Today I'm surrounded by bean counter administrators focused solely on grinding out a quarterly result.
I little. It happens when the focus turns to massive growth with high personal targets. If you want to double the firm/practice/service line etc you encourage Machiavellian behavior
You nailed it.
We have become of culture where words speak louder than actions. We desperately need to flip back.
You can be absolutely toxic and useless if you speak nice words but you will be villain if you use tough words and hold people accountable able lead through actions.
Enthusiast
The overhead is just getting insane. Our overhead contribution per head is more than average employee cost (total comp plus benefits)…really don’t know what to say anymore about that at this point
I haven’t noticed a change in my firm leadership overall, but definitely a change in my practice (tech) leadership. We have shifted from transformational leaders that inspired a vision, to today’s autocratic leaders that are transactional unlikeable a$$holes.
I’m unsure I’d go as far as ‘disrespectful’. However, it has become totally transactional. That can lead to very low EQ interactions with leadership sometimes. I don’t feel disrespected. I just don’t think they give a sh$t.
Most of the industry has moved from Consulting (experts providing advice) to Services (capacity).
The hunger to grow has deluted the value of consulting - just look at contracts that extend for years, that is not consulting any longer - with that change comes the change in appreciation resulting in what is seen as transactional and disrespectful. It isn’t disrespectful it is just seeing people for what they are an expendable resource.
We are quickly turning into Wall-E. If we don’t have a vibrant professional services business we won’t pass down knowledge from one generation to another.
I find it despicable how a boomer led executive class is cutting corners every where for short term profits at the expense of long term stable talent.
Absolutely right IBM1. History will judge this generation of executive class poorly. It’s no better than that of the 70’s.
I think there are a few contributing factors:
1. Partners got a taste of high unit value during covid years. Everyone now wants to target that.
2. Firms have become a lot better at measuring numbers and contribution to bottom line. Previously, there were ways of getting around it. But now that it’s more difficult, it leads to sharper elbows. The general slowdown in consulting spend over the last 18-24 months has not helped.
3. Most of these firms are a lot bigger; it’s tougher to form true relationships. Hence everything has a transactional feel to it, which really is unfortunate. I’ve seen so many people depart without even a goodbye party or a formal acknowledgment; it’s really sad.
Regarding increased overhead, I don’t really see it. Overhead has always existed, at least in partnerships (that’s kinda the model and frankly the carrot). At least at my firm, my sentiment is that overhead is reducing and partners are being actively directed back to the market.
Coach
Yes