I did time at one of the world’s largest management consultancy firms (for genuine concerns about my welfare – I will not reveal which one).
This was a place which had built up a credible reputation over the years, an enviable client list and offices in every corner of the world imaginable – basically where there are (preferably low-cost) people and a WI-FI signal, you can guarantee that they have some form of operation there. All of this means that the company is one of the most sought after Graduate schemes and has a rigorous recruitment process consisting of; phone interviews, psychometric tests, assessments days, etc. They really do capture the best talent.
During my time I was often confronted with incidences with some of the senior hierarchy which often left me perplexed and questioning the workforce dynamic. One particular incident was when I was sitting at my desk one day minding my own business and I was approached rather abruptly by one of the Senior Managers of the firm:
“Get over here son, I have a question for you”…I wandered over to him, he then says…. “I have two numbers here, how do I work out the percentage difference?”…
Really??…a Senior Manager asking an Analyst about BASIC Maths?… how can they be so stupid!?
This did get me thinking about the career path a little more:
As you progress through the ranks of an organisation (one which pushes you to management regardless of need/skill-set) it inevitably gets more and more difficult the further up the chain you go. What tends to happen is that the best talent, keen to not get caught up in the back-log of people waiting to be promoted, leave after reaching a (often self-made) ceiling. The people who remain, are generally the people who are content with where they are and have no desire to push for the next level so quickly – these are the ones that are ultimately promoted due to the amount of time at the firm.
The issue doesn’t seem lie with the recruitment – the issue lies at the retention of the talented people and the inevitable promotion of the mediocre.
Of course it is nonsense to suggest that everyone who is a manager at a top tier consultancy is stupid (and admittedly, my example is a little on the extreme side) –however I do think there is some truth to the suggestion that a few have got there by default whilst the real high-flyers (who were perhaps better equipped to perform the role) have flown from the nest. Maybe, if firms focused less on the meaningless ‘time at level’ factor then they might go some way to eradicating the promotion of mediocrity and moments where I have to give an impromptu Year 6 Maths lesson.
I am definitely keen to hear what other people in the management consulting arena think of this…
Consultification 