This document outlines 5 great obstacles to overcome when launching a new career in strategy consulting: 1) My Ex, or one's previous career identity, 2) Starting Point, or where to begin, 3) Perfect Fit, or determining the right company/role match, 4) Networking challenges, and 5) competition from New Kids or younger candidates. The author details their own experience overcoming these obstacles to become a consultant, and provides solutions for analyzing oneself as a consultant case and developing new skills to adapt. Readers are invited to discuss their own obstacles and questions.

1. Launch Your New Career:
Overcome 5 Great Obstacles
February 22, 2013

2. First real life case
you will be solving
will be YOU.
2

3. Your case
framework will
look like this…
3

4. Your case’ framework
You.
External Internal
factors
factors
Consulting Your
firms
background
Consultants
Your talent
Case Your
studies
passion
4

5. No help available,
Lot of help available
You are the only
expert
You.
External Internal
factors
factors
Consulting Your
firms
background
Consultants
Your talent
Case Your
studies
passion
5

6. Why me?
Not many years back, I was in your place.
6

7. Objective: Prevent
you from making the
same career mistakes
that I made
7

8. Each one of you
can become a
Strategy Consultant
8

9. This is a brain.
Any smart brain.
9

10. Left Brain
Right Brain
Numbers
Creativity
Logic
Analysis
Imagination
10

11. So where is the
strategy consulting
located in the brain?
11

12. Strategy
Consulting
12

13. Which means all
smart people can
become strategy
consultants?
13

14. Just having it in your
brains is not enough!
14

15. Let’s look at an
example:
Here is my brain…
15

16. Business
Management
Architecture
Finance
Innovation
Project
Art
Management
16

17. With a Strategy
Consultant’s
brain, I felt like a
queen.
17

18. That was an illusion.
18

19. This was the
reality.
19

20. Then how did I
survive and thrive?
20

21. So let’s start my story,
at the beginning …
21

22. When I decided to
become a consultant …
22

23. Looks familiar?
That’s how I look when I
pull my hair.
23

24. On self diagnosis I
found…
24

25. The 5 Great Obstacles
25

26. New
My Ex
Kids
Starting
Point
Networking
Perfect
Fit
26

27. Solution?
Let’s work on this case together,
27

28. Structure for solving the
5 great obstacles:
1. Obstacle
2. Your Solution?
3. My Solution.
28

29. Obstacle #1.
My Ex
29

30. #1. My Ex
Ex careers are
ingrained in
our identity
30

31. #1 My Ex: My Solution
Tell yourself you
are a consultant
31

32. #1. My Ex: My Solution
Hold on to the transferable skills
and let go the non transferable skills
Look at yourself from a new
perspective. Let it reflect in the way
you introduced yourself to people,
and the way you plan your career.
32

33. Obstacle #2.
Starting Point
33

34. #2. Starting Point
Where Do I
Start?
34

35. #2. Starting Point:
My Solution
Be your own consultant
35

36. #2. Starting Point:
My Solution
§ Research yourself
§ Do your own SCQ (situation,
complication, question)
§ Build a strategy for answering
the question in SCQ
§ Design a career action plan,
including a plan B
36

37. Obstacle #3.
Perfect Fit
37

38. #3. Perfect Fit
Where Do I Fit?
38

39. #3. Perfect Fit
Big firm/small firm?
Management consulting/
Industry?
strategy consulting?
level? Analyst/ US/ home country?
Consultant/ Sr.
consultant/ Project
Manager?
For profit/ non profit?
Where Do I Fit?
39

40. #3. Perfect Fit:
My Solution
Once again!
Think like a Consultant
40

41. #3. Perfect Fit:
My Solution
Talent
Market
Passion
Find that sweet spot.
41
Ref:
Greg
McKeown
in
a
blogpost:
#1
career
mistake
capable
people
make

42. Obstacle #4.
Networking
42

43. #4. Networking
Networking
Not Working?
43

44. #4. Networking:
My Solution
Become a nicer
person, stop
selling so hard
44

45. #4. Networking:
My Solution
§ Make mentors, make friends
§ Interpersonal relationships
§ Trust people (remember you are
asking strangers to trust you!) and
respect their time
§ Cast wide but focused net
45

46. Obstacle #5.
New Kids
46

47. #5. New Kids
Younger people getting
hired more easily?
47

48. #5. New Kids:
My solution
Develop and show
off new abilities
48

49. #5. New Kids:
My solution
§ Ability to adapt
§ Ability to learn
§ Flexibility
49

50. Working around these 5
obstacles helped me
achieve what I wanted.
50

51. New
My Ex
Kids
Start
Point
Networking
Perfect
Fit
51

52. Consultant
New
abilities
Consultant
Nice person
Consultant
52

53. And now that I am
already a consultant,
it’s your turn.
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54. More obstacles?
Questions?
Comments?
Sarcasm?
Say now or email later:
purnima@refineandfocus.com
54