Stuck between mediocrity and excellence

Spending over 10 years working in a Big 4 environment and culture had more of an effect on me than I could have ever imagined. In the endless pursuit of chasing the proverbial brass ring, I did whatever it took and did it whenever it needed to be done. Emails were responded to as if I were on instant messenger at any hour of the night. I spent endless hours waiting in airports and dealing with all of the fun that comes with traveling the US commercial airline system. The work is one thing. But the lifestyle becomes second nature. From the outside looking in, people think you are crazy for doing what you do. On the inside, it's perfectly natural. The people you work with become your second family because you all know that this is just the way life is. Unlike many of my very successful friends that went on to big titles, more responsibilities, and bigger paychecks, I made the decision to do similar work...

For those of you that have read my past blog posts, there was a post that I wrote about getting a small(er) computer . As a refresher, in my old firm, Analysts through Sr. Consultants / Managers got the big computers (because they actually do the hard core analysis and development of deliverables). I, on the other hand, got the small computer which is not quite a smart phone, but not quite the brick of a computer that our staff had to endure carrying. Fast forward and now I'm with a smaller firm and one of the of many Consultants that start on the ground floor if you will. I guess everyone that is in the management consulting profession is a 'consultant' when you think about it. It's just that as you move up, it becomes more about selling work rather than delivering -- in general I mean. I will disclaim that by saying that there are some Partners that do a great job of both. And I learned a great deal from them for which I will always be grateful. So that means I now ...

For almost the past 11 years, I was on the road. (Traveling Monday through Thursday to some foreign land in the domestic United States). I think that I can say that in those 11 years, I had one project that was local and it was for 6 months. The irony about that local project was that I absolutely hated it. I hated Atlanta traffic. I hated paying for parking. And I hated not being able to expense lunch. Keep in mind that I was single with no kids. Fast forward and now I am no longer traveling. Soon my Delta status will cease to exist. I will no longer be Platinum at Marriott or Starwood. The corporate Amex Platinum is gone. Every status that once defined me will disappear. And unlike a lot of my friends that are big wigs at other companies, I took a hit in compensation in order to get off of the road. My decision was purely based on spending more time with my family and watching my son (16 months now) grow up. I will tell you that that there is a lot to adjust to. Income go...

In Marcus Buckingham's book, The One Thing You Need to Know, he says, "If you can't do, teach. And if you really can't do, consult about it." It's no wonder that at some point I'd like to teach college and more specifically, why I'm still in management consulting. I either can't do or I'm just plain incompetent. I decided to make the move from an extremely large management consulting practice to a local one. One of my very first blog posts was about how much I hated my old firm's new performance review process. Fast forward to today and let's just say that one of my "asks" at my new firm is to look at the review process and identify any pertinent gaps. Man, karma is alive and kicking. Either way that I look at this, there is no way that I can make everyone happy -- whatever the output is. If there is one thing that I've learned, it's that whenever you are associated with an impact on someone's compensation - ...

You never get quite the same type of high or emotion that you get from a big win in business than you do in sports. Or maybe you do, but I'm just not at that level of the corporate ladder where million dollar deals are won or lost. But even then, I would argue that the celebrations that are made from scoring a goal in the World Cup, scoring a touchdown, or hitting a game winning shot at the buzzer would have far more passion and be far more entertaining. Therefore, I propose that whether you are a financial analyst, middle manager, or Director / VP - whenever you deliver that final presentation, hand over a great deliverable or analysis, or just reach some significant milestone in your career - do a celebration that T.O. or any European professional soccer player can't rival. If you want to tone it down, just do a simple chest bump. You have to start somewhere. For some inspiration here you go. (You can find ANYTHING on YouTube). I especially like the guy just kicking the heck ...

I consider myself a person that everyone can get along with. On some days I'm halfway intelligent or demonstrate some type of competency. Unfortunately, you have to be a lot more of that in order to get ahead of your peers or continue to move up and across the consulting lattice / ladder. Being part of the good old boys network or ol' boys network is not easy. My observation is that it takes quite a bit of work to become a part of that network. At times, it can be downright impossible because you aren't like them. It's a lot like pledging a fraternity except worse. In this case, there is only one fraternity you can try to pledge and every year might as well be rush.  What is the definition of insanity again? I think it's something like doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. To make it to the promised land, the ol' boys network, or whatever you call it has to require some degree of insanity, right?  I started reading this b...

Having a great memory is probably not one of my key strengths. But of the certain things that I do remember, they all happen to be events in life. Don't get me wrong. I remember the day that my dad bought me my first pair of Air Jordans. I remember when we had enough money that he could buy me a good pair of soccer cleats. But those are all material things that came and went away. The things that stick with me are the evening that my dad and mom took me to play tennis with them. The days where my dad played badminton and I got to tag along. The month that I spent in Thailand with my family not understanding what was going on and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. The time my parents left me in California with some friends and let me hang out for the summer. Plus many more experiences that are just a part of growing up. The common denominator is that both of my parents were there - or at least both involved in making the decision. I would be interested to know or understand whether...