Additional Posts in Consulting
Rising Star
Rising Star
Michelle, you are my best friend 😭
Visual Storyteller
Pls DM if interested asap
Additional Posts (overall)
Chief
This week has been best ever
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Some of the partners in my practice that really thrive seem to have accepted the fact that their work is very rarely urgent and never a matter of life or death. I think that those who can contextualize and accept this while making clients happy are the winning combo.
For example I see some fellow managers/senior managers get really bent out of shape over something a partner doesn’t even blink twice at. That helped clarify things for me at least.
Rising Star
The partner doesn’t blink because they can roll that ish downhill and blame someone else. I’ve found that the people who make it to the PPMD levels are exceptionally good at deflecting blame and “delegating.”
There’s definitely components of both nature (inherent physiological wiring) vs. nurture (learned behavior / stress management) in play
Part of the reason psychopaths are over-represented in IB/higher finance vs. the general population (1%) is because a huge symptom of the condition is lack of anxiety. When things hit the fan they are equipped to thrive and they do not burn out at near the rate of “normal” people (and their work quality is consistent). Those are necessary traits for the climb to MD.
Chief
This is misrepresenting psychopaths. Typically, they have a large group of people they push or manipulate to do their work. They do not experience any concern for their people’s well-being and have no shame in asking them to work overnight or over weekends to solve the problem for them. The reason they don’t stress is they can blame others or throw someone under the bus and pull up the next resource replacement.
Perspective and experience. I’m not saving lives. There are definitely issues we face but they are rarely emergencies within the greater scope of things going on in the world. It would stress me out far more to be a surgeon, a soldier or a trial attorney and I have tremendous respect for those who choose those paths.
CM1 I was thinking the same thing! Damn where the hell this person finds all these neurosurgeons to date? Even tho I did go out with one and the guy was weird AF, online dating made me terrified of Medical Doctors!!!
Pro
My working theory (and I may be completely wrong about it) is that those who makes it all the way to a Partner level in consulting are actually enjoying things that cause stress and discontent to normal people.
There’s something to this. If you’ve ever seen Free Solo, they look at the brain of a guy who climbs massive cliffs without any ropes or safety gear and they found that his brain needed ridiculously high stimuli to garner the same stress reaction of a “normal” brain.
Drugs
Chief
Drugs AND alcohol
I doubt there is too much of a secret. Everyone reacts to stressful situations differently too. Some people freak out and some people just care/worry less.
Pro
Corporate work is not stressful 🤷♂️
Pro
I don't have to check my bank account before every transaction. I don't have to calculate how many meals I will have to skip this week. I don't worry about getting jumped or mugged on the way to/from work. I don't have to worry about will everyone in the office make it home this week.
I'm not downplaying what "stresses people out" because everyone has their own life experiences and reactions - but next time you're stressed out try the exercise of writing out why or what is triggering the stressful reaction in your job then really look at it for a minute and ask yourself if you're lucky to be stressed out by that problem. You may get a chuckle out of it. In all reality, corporate problems are 1st world problems.
Oof you're all painting a bad picture for my partner potential. So if I'm not already enjoying it my chances are probably zilch?
Pro
D1, what’s the point of yours?
They value the potential rewards more than the stress? Everyone reacts to stress differently. Probably the bigger thing is they are able to more singularly focus on making partner than people that value other priorities.
Coca-cola
You mean the coke and the cola? Lol
Drugs joke
Everything that is worth doing will come with stress and hard work. I think at the end it is about finding purpose, if you find purpose in your work you will want to do it for as long as you can. Also maybe when you do something for long enough it becomes hard to stop or to stop enjoying it.
Thanks Rami
I have a working theory that they all have the Achiever theme from Clifton strengths
Rising Star
I agree, D1. Achievers achieve for the sake of checking things off a list. That’s not remotely what most of the PPMDs I know are like. They’re either solely in it for the money and the power (even though the “power,” associated with being a POMD in a consulting firm, is pretty small potatoes in the grand scheme of things).
Igbo and Shayo
Why are you stressed as an SA?
And who said the answer “drugs” is a joke? It’s a real answer and possibly one of the reasons!