Navigating first Consulting Project & Manager

Question

Seeking advice on how to navigate my first project & manager at Accenture

I am a new hire and I got onboarded to a project immediately after 3 days onboarding exercise. I am working on a long running project, this is the 2nd year . My experience has been a roller coaster as highlighted below;

1. Manager made side comments about my school on the 7th day on the project. “you come from ** school, know you are smart but not giving me confidence”.

2. Scolding in the presence of senior leadership. Manager speaks to me in a condescending tone and intentionally scolds me in the presence of leadership. Please note that other team members are not treated this way when they make a mistake. There has been some improvement in the scolding . Less condescending.

3. I am unable to ask for guidance /clarification because manager nags and never answers the question.

4. On my 3rd week, had performance review and it was a negative feedback. I was asked to work on 2 areas: learn to work with your manager and be proactive.

5. No ownership in the team. Everyone does everything and when something goes wrong. The newbie (me) is blamed and my mistakes are amplified.

6.My laptop froze and got into a meeting 7 mins late and manager escalated to Project Lead (like see what I have been telling you about ***). Partner spoke to me about it but manager was the trigger. Another incident today, we had an internal alignment meeting with other consultants on the project, one person’s voice was very low so couldn’t get the update. After the meeting I reached out explaining and asking for the update at the end of the meeting. This was also escalated to line manager. I wonder how getting an information within colleagues on same project will result to an escalation. I strive to do good work and share complete information but even that is an issue.

I am new to consulting after spending 10 years in industry. Its been a brutal experience and i have panic attack going to work because I don’t know what I am going to do next to cause scolding/nagging or my performance review.

I have worked hard to get here and I am seeking for guidance on how get on top of things at work. My People’s Lead and Project Lead are same. The team lead is my line manager who does the above.

Note that I am not perfect. I believe there are areas I need to improve on which I improving by the day. However, I am worried about the above and could ruin my reputation /perception by leadership. Currently, I have a task tracker where I track all actions, activities , comments and mistakes I have made. I intend to use this during performance review sessions to protect myself and use as proof to support my performance:

Bottom line: i feel like my line manager may be unable to provide an objective feedback without bias.

Kindly let me know how I can navigate this situation.

My confirmation is in the next 2 months

Answer 1

There are three things you need to do:

- Network internally and make sure you are visible outside your project. You want to increase your chances of being staffed in another team in your next project. You also want to start getting some allies (people who care about you) on your side

- Do your best and avoid mistakes. That means double-checking your work, being an early arriver and late-leaver, and keeping close communication with your manager and peers. In these situations it is easy to feel tempted to be as low profile as possible - and while you don't need (and should not be) a high-profile, you have to make sure you are not invisible and that you show a strong sense of ownership in order to minimize mistakes.

Answer 2

So sorry you have to deal with this. Reading your side of the story it sounds like you have an idiot for a manager who does not care about you or people in general. (A lot of consultant managers have very stunted emotional development and people skills, it is especially common in the manager role).

What can you do? Not that much - but for now focus on doing a stellar job. Work hard - so come before them, leave after and product good quality work. Ask for feedback daily and ask for their help to improve daily and show them all the things you are doing based on their feedback. Do not bad mouth them and always praise them in front of the partner. This manager probably has very low self esteem and emotional issues so best not to trigger them in any way.

Once the project ends do a lot more due diligence on staffing and try and get on a caring team.

Answer 3

I heard the Middle East in some consulting firms such as Accenture is awful with discrimination.

There are a few cases online.

I personally would not be able to handle it especially if I’m feeling panic attacks only a few days in to the work. I either would complain to HR and take it to someone higher up, or I would honestly look elsewhere before they find a reason to fire you. Document as much as you can too. If anyone else can support you, let them know. This sort of behaviour is nasty and will truly make it hard for you to progress and improve yourself.

Answer 4

Hi there,

I am sorry to hear you are having such a bad experience in your first consulting project.

Based on the information you shared and having seen this situation before when I was working at Accenture and later PwC, I suggest you the following:

Try to improve by any means the relationship with your manager. You need this person to be at ease to improve your performance, make your life easier and protect your reputation
Be extra proactive. For example, on the stories you shared, (6) when you laptop froze, text or call in advance to let your manager know the situation, plus try to connect 10 minutes in advance to avoid these situations
Ask for help to peers to get up to speed in your weakest areas (e.g., communication, document crafting, Excel modeling, personal productivity, client relationship) and to get advice on how to handle your manager (specially people who have been working with that person for long time)
Share your situation with HR to protect yourself in advance. That would help you to (1) relief some stress on the situation and (2) get some good advice on how to handle this particular situation with this particular person (sometimes this kind of behaviors are repeated by same people and HR is well aware)

Happy to keep talking about this in private if you need more advice, just send me a message.

Best,

Alberto

—

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Answer 5

Reading your testimonial reminds me of my first months in consulting.

There will always be people like that. You can't really change it. The only thing that you can change is the game that you play. And as long as you play it well and for long enough, it always plays in your favour.

Your entire project setup sounds unpleasant. Once you have the possibility, to move to another one.

Then, identify a senior consultant who can mentor you. They could be from your office or anybody that you got a good vibe from.

Accept that in the beginning you're going to get a lot of ‘developmental’ feedback and sometimes it's not going to be delivered in a kind way.

Here are a few other tips to have in mind for your first year in consulting:

Expert Guide: How to Become A Distinctive Consultant

Lastly, sorry again for your situation. Hang in there though. It's going to get better before you know it.

Best,
Cristian

Answer 6

Hi there,

I'm SO sorry about your experience. Nothing is worse than a bad boss.

Now, there are some key actions to take:

Protect yourself - be pro-active. Figure out what manager wants/needs and pre-empt it. Don't give them any excuses
Get everything in writing - you always want a paper trail
Be visible to others - make sure others see that you are a great consultant and do great work. Make your great work visible
Get higher ups on your side - anyone higher than the manager needs to like you. They can override the manager
Survive until you get on a new project
Find a new project ASAP
Don't take it personally
Get a coach - bring in an expert to help you navigate this
Read this: Consulting Survival Guide - Tips for Your Consulting Career

Answer 7

Hey there,

That is a horrible situation, there is no sugarcoating this and I am sorry you are going through this!

What can you do now to improve the situation for you?

Performance

Focus on delivering excellent work by arriving early, staying late, and producing high-quality results.
Seek daily feedback from your manager and demonstrate improvements based on their suggestions.
Anticipate your manager's needs and address them in advance to prevent giving them reasons for dissatisfaction.

Relationships

Stay professional and avoid criticizing your manager and praise them in front of others to manage their potential low self-esteem and emotional issues.
Enhance your relationship with your manager to facilitate a better work environment and safeguard your reputation. Ask them for lunch, dinner, or drinks outside of the team room. Find a mutual connection.
Be proactive in communicating issues, such as technical difficulties, to avoid misunderstandings.
Start connecting with clients. Your team will see that you have a good standing with some key clients.
Increase your visibility within the organization by showcasing your contributions and ensuring that higher-ups recognize your value. Work on things outside of the project scope (e.g., knowledge creation, proposals).
Discuss your situation with HR or your firm mentor (who should be a partner) to discuss your experiences and get guidance on managing your relationship with your manager.
Build alliances with senior colleagues who can influence your career positively and potentially counteract negative input from your manager.

Development

Seek support from colleagues to strengthen your skills in areas like communication, document crafting, and Excel modeling.

Career or exit strategy

Actively seek opportunities to transition to a team that values and supports its members.
Look for another job.

If this continues, everything I wrote is irrelevant but the final point. In this case, it's always a good idea to leave!

All the best to you!

Florian