Working as a consultant for a few years, I've learned and grown a lot as a professional. One day, one of my teammates asked me:
"What early career mistake will you never make again?"
Here are three mistakes I made that I always tell my colleagues to avoid in their early careers as consultants.
Mistake #1: Overpromising and Underdelivering
Too often, consultants choose to overpromise to impress their clients and secure contracts. They believe that by setting high expectations, they can create an aura of expertise and confidence. And, of course, I also made the same mistake. At that time, I didn't even realize I was overpromising because I was too junior to fully estimate work hours and plans ahead. And I ended up putting myself in a situation that led to missing deadlines, subpar results, and insane work hours. Instead, I want my junior colleagues to focus on setting realistic expectations.
And here's my tip: ALWAYS ASK FOR HELP. There will always be more experienced teammates who can help prepare work plans and estimations.
Mistake #2: Stopped Continuous Learning
As a consultant, you need to be up-to-date with the latest technology and best practices. The most fun and frustrating part of consulting work is that you have to keep learning new things. When I was a junior, I didn't do a good job of sparing time for learning new things. A good consultant provides competent solutions, while a bad consultant offers outdated advice. A legendary consultant provides solutions following the latest industry trends and innovations. One of the major value drivers lies in being ahead of the curve, so offering cutting-edge insights and strategies is very important.
Mistake #3: Failing to Manage Work-Life Balance
"Work hard, but don't let work consume you."
To this day, I keep this quote in mind because it reminds me that burnout is real and can undermine not only your health but also your work competency. Achieving a sustainable work-life balance is key to maintaining long-term success and personal well-being. I always tell my junior colleagues it is my job to keep them maintain proper workloads, and it's their responsibility to tell me when things are not sustainable. Often, I notice that many junior colleagues who want to be exceptional believe that good performance comes with over-delivering. So, they are often willing to sacrifice their work-life balance. This is so wrong. Based on my experiences, the most exceptional ones are those who deliver what they promise while keeping the balance.