You're starting out in consulting and want to excel. How can you seek feedback and level up?

A personal thing for me has been to seek direct Feedback Requests: Don't be afraid to directly ask colleagues or mentors for feedback on specific tasks or presentations. Show your willingness to learn and grow. Client Feedback: When appropriate, seek feedback from clients on your communication style, problem-solving approach, or deliverables. This can highlight areas where you can better meet client expectations. Peer Reviews: Engage in peer reviews with colleagues on projects. Offer constructive feedback and be open to receiving feedback on your own work. Create a Development Plan: Based on the feedback received, create a development plan that identifies your strengths and areas for improvement. Set SMART goals for improvement.

The most important quality for consulting is having objective clarity. The attitude a consultant must develop is detachment and his/her actions must reflect passion. Skill and knowledge must be gained periodically to provide the highest quality solution. Now reflect over these and identify the areas you need to build upon.

Consulting as an industry has a very common practice of assigning a mentor right from the start of your career. While your account manager keeps changing based on changing projects your mentor remains consistent across your journey with that organization. If this process is not prevalent in your organization talk to people on the floor and see if you can seek advice/mentorship from someone. Once you identify a mentor or someone is assigned to you, do an expectation setting with your mentor on what should your path look like for the next on year in the organization. And what the few things that you need to be focused and wary of at the same time. Make the most of the mentor that you have, its the easiest way to chart a successful career.

As a finance professional, seeking regular feedback from peers and mentors can provide invaluable insights. Reflecting on this feedback and adapting your strategies accordingly will not only enhance your consulting skills but also ensure you stay ahead in an ever-evolving industry. Engaging in a mentorship can offer diverse perspectives to help you grow in your position. Adapt your mentor's experience so that it can suit your style of working. Personally, a roadmap that I can edit works best for me.

I see many new confident joiners in consulting field, coming from elite and non-elite schools. You will be smart and intelligent but remember, the world of consulting is not easy and routine, its absolutely dynamic. Best way to excel is to give yourself time to absorb, learn, watch, be patient, don't rush, be diligent, use the confidence you came to talk, ask if you know that you don't know stuff. Find mentors to forge your direction. This is knowledge industry and not forgiving.