What Type Of Person Thrives In The Consulting Industry, According To An Engagement Manager At A Big 4 Firm
Kelsey's biggest challenges as an Engagement Manager involved the constant multitasking and responsibility of "carrying a team," especially early in their career. The weight of client reliance on their guidance for "multi-million dollar projects," coupled with the pressure of supporting team members, initially caused self-doubt, but Kelsey overcame this by remembering the support system at the firm.
Project Management, Teamwork, Leadership, Responsibility, Confidence
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Kelsey Gorman
Engagement Manager, Consulting
Big 4 Consulting Firm
University of Colorado, Boulder (2009)
UCLA Anderson, MBA (2014)
Biology & Related Sciences
Consulting & Related Professional Services, Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Consulting
Video Highlights
1. Multitasking and context switching between projects and team members.
2. Managing client expectations on large, multi-million dollar projects.
3. Building confidence and leadership skills to effectively guide and support a team as a recent graduate.
Transcript
What were the biggest challenges in your role?
One challenge for me was multitasking. Often, you might be working on one project, but there are many moving pieces and different team members involved. As a manager, you need to be constantly available to answer questions at any point during your day.
You have to drop what you're doing to help someone when they need you, then switch back to your own tasks. There's also the responsibility of carrying a team, which I wasn't used to from business school. It's the feeling that people are relying on you to guide, develop, and support them.
Clients also rely on you, especially for multi-million dollar projects. Fresh out of grad school, I sometimes lacked confidence in my ability to handle this. I had to remember that I had a firm and people behind me, but still felt the weight of responsibility for those who needed me.