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Chief
Director. No question.
The firm shifts the goal posts every two years on Director success metrics. The partner candidate process is highly-political. You need engagement revenue AND utilization, so you are both critically expensive to projects to the projects you own, yet need the hours regardless. Also, director roles have been absolutely savaged in the the past few rounds of PWC “right sizing”.
It’s the role requiring the greatest amount of effort and risk relative to the reward, and it’s not even close.
Don't forget having to pull off delivery miracles with teams that are either a) staffed well below scope to try and hit the always-rising margin target; b) comprised of mostly new people who haven't been trained properly because the firm decided new hire training isn't a priority anymore; or c) both. It's usually C.
When things are bad as a director they're REALLY bad
4th year director here - daily client stress, juggling too many projects, partner BS, baby sitting staff, RL responsibilities, unnecessary politics, dealing with territorial directors, partner promotion stress, relationship management, metrics, work-life balance, deliverable reviews, and so on.
There’s very less attention given on how directors are doing cuz we’re expected to be super humans. And if you blink once, partners would create generalizations and perceptions about you.
All you get out of this is white hair, extra weight and high cholesterol lol.
And we are here cuz we’re often close to making partners and if you’re good at what you do - your life would be 10x better as a partner.
Pro
D4, can you give some examples of the “dirty side of politics”?
Director probably.
💯
Senior associate is the best level. You break 6figs and do not have the stress levels of managing projects and resources
Manager is hardest from workload, Director is hardest from stress, bullshit, and unrealistic sales targets
Rising Star
Definitely director, you have sales targets but also need to manage teams and get work done while getting shit from partners rained on you
What about Senior manager?
Damn I thought A / SA was hard since we are doing brunt of the work. Sounds like a stress free progression to the top 🫠
Definitely Director. Specifically Directors in the partner pipeline.
What is harder SA or M?
Chief
It is in that you make more money and grow your career. Growth is pain, wherever you go.
But I wistfully look back on my SA days with the rose-colored tint of nostalgia. Assuming you are an SA of “traditional” age (don’t come after me for that comment; just assume I mean well, please), it’s typically the point where you make a decent chunk of money, are still young, have a ton of energy without a family or kids that take priority, and can still just decide “you know what, I don’t like XYZ as much as I thought I would, but I have a network that I can use to pivot to ABC”. And the firm will typically be cool with that.
Try pivoting as a SM or D. They will simply set you on fire.
What about Senior manager?
Not as hard as director
Pro
Know several D’s in or about to be in the partner pipeline at PwC that are home grown and most are entertaining external offers, some for the first time, due to the metrics they need to hit.
Seems a bit intentional. New Equation was partially intended to weed out unproductive partners. Impact is on pipeline but I doubt if the firm has thought through how high attrition will be at the really critical level and how to mitigate.
What about Partners? Are they on cruise control once they make partner at the firm?
It’s 10x better than any other role for myriad of reasons.
Jedi master