Is anyone on here a partner?

C1 - This is a very broad question. And to D7's point, I probably don't have time to think comprehensively about it. But I think lots of junior consultants think they are too good for things when they're not. Look to add value where you can, even if that means stapling decks or something. (I still do stuff like this - so you never get too good for it.) The goal in your early years is to learn as much as possible on both the content and "consulting toolkit" sides. Learning to have attention to detail about printing decks helps you do the same in your regular deliverables. It's not glorious work, but we all do what's necessary for the client. I guess the other one is never assuming your manager will catch your mistakes - you need to do all you can to produce the best you can. I think the transition to manager is especially hard - it was for me. It requires very good upward and downward communication (I was bad at both), learning how to delegate work while still ensuring quality control, realizing not all people approach their work like you do - so you need to learn to get the most out of people who have different skills and working styles. Managing Partners can be hard because we all have different expectations for how involved we will be, and you also have to realize different Partners have different roles to play, but this division isn't always made clear to you. As people approach Partner, the biggest mistake is forgetting to ensure the projects are executed flawlessly. Another mistake I'd say is people exiting consulting too soon. The offers can be tempting, but I'd encourage people to stick around until they get some experience managing others. It takes a long time to get that experience in industry, and the experience isn't as varied. Being a good manager is a very transferable skill.

@A2 that's a really tough one! I think that the industry has made a lot of progress but that we're not fully there yet. At my firm there are a few women partners, but definitely not as many as I would like to see. The big question is whether it is entirely a problem with the firm and the culture or more of an inherent problem with the consulting lifestyle. I believe that from a cultural point of view consulting firms are definitely not frat houses any more and foster a culture that is much more tolerable to women (at least that is my experience at my firm). This being said, the job itself, and particularly the traveling part of it make it more challenging than many other jobs. It really comes down to personal preferences, partner involvement in household tasks and your philosophy/expectations around raising kids. I have female friends whose husbands have 9 to 5 jobs with no travel and can cover at home, I also have a couple of friends whose husbands are stay at home dads and it works beautifully. I guess that the bottom line is that it's not about the culture in a particular industry needing to change but our broader culture to change to make such arrangements more normal! Since there is no woman partner on the thread I'll see if I can get my wife (who gave up her career) to write about it here, no promises though;)

That's what I was planning to do. I was expecting OP to ask a question he/she wanted a Partner perspective on. If you have such a question, feel free to ask. Also, I'm not that old, nor do you know that I'm a male. My first piece of advice is not to make assumptions... Or to attribute mal-intent when good intentions are equally possible.

Yes. You rang?

Partner, can you staff me? You sound cool

Hey @Partners - what do you think about the guy with the soul patch?

Partners are real people too.

C1 - I guess fires can be: (1) execution failures due to a poorly chosen team (note phrasing: it is my fault for picking the team, not the team's fault) - in that case you have to recognize the issue quickly and "overreact" in the sense that you go a bit beyond what you think might be necessary because there's a big risk you've underestimated the problem. (2) Personnel issues like consultants who think the work is above them, managers who lack empathy and expect everyone to be like them often causing their teams to hate them, or professional maturity issues (ranging from inappropriate dress to getting arrested) - in those cases, you need to be explicit about what the issue is and actionable in the feedback. (3) Client dissatisfaction - usually you failed to take something into account, whether it is a motivation that wasn't clear to you, or an expectation (warranted or not) that you failed to meet. Usually you just listen to the client until they tell you how to make it better, and then you do that.

@P1 - Thank you for your time and knowledge. Imagine that at this point in the thread we would have already racked up quite a tab. Appreciate the solidarity. 👏🏼

D7 - Same way you have time to devote to this app. In cabs, boarding planes, etc. After I've read all the news I care about, this is a fun distraction. And a good way to understand if there are issues at my firm that the Partners don't know about but need to address.

One of the most useful threads on this app in months

A1 - No buy in at my firm. No hard sales targets, but most will target at least $3mm in personal revenues. Down to about $1.5mm is viewed as acceptable. Below that and you're not doing very well. Partners don't have chargeability targets for themselves, though 50-60% is normal. And only group leaders have chargeability targets for the consultants in their groups, though the compensation of Partners in the group is tied to chargeability.

Haha, partner title even

A3 - I'm male. So I didn't face this, or at least such assumptions were not negative ones. I am a big proponent of focusing on inclusion and believe many biases are unconscious, which means ignoring them won't work. Not sure I can be of more help, but feel free to ask another question.

Following. Partner1 is awesome.

M1 - I assume Partner compensation varies widely by firm and individual. So you'll need to do some investigation at your firm. At my firm, salary is generally low (just a bit above non-Partners) and in a narrow range since most compensation is variable. I don't want to give a range for total compensation as that is driven quite closely by firm performance, which is confidential. But I can tell you my total compensation last year was around $1.3mm.

OP! You're back! Did you have a question, or just curious if any Partners were on this thing?

Hey Partner 1 & 2 you both should start a weekly thread called "Ask A Partner" so all the curious folks can get their questions out. Or I may be pushing it a little, idk.

D15 - I think the exact contours of this vary by firm, but my general philosophy is that in the early part of one's career, you should focus on building the relevant toolkit and less on "networking." The network will come from doing your job well and being known for it. Once you start advancing, finding mentors and sponsors will become more important, and hopefully they will come about naturally.

Yeah I don't think partner 1 is a real partner

Omg I think it's great - I like partner 1 he has sense of humor. You rang? Very cute. @partner1 staff me as well. I'll ring that bell.