How to Survive in a Suitcase

“We have reached the altitude of 10 000 miles. You may now turn on your approved electronic devices”

My week starts at 5 am on Monday morning with a cup of coffee and a free doughnut at the Love Field airport. I often joke that I commute to the office by plane.

Consulting. I remember my naive imagination trying to seduce my logic by creating glamorous images of NYC skyline, an office right in the middle of Moscow, business trips to Dubai. Little did I know, and yet I do not regret a minute of working as a consultant. The job has been the best teacher I could ever have.

Of course, consulting is not for everyone. To succeed in this industry, one must have the ability to work under high pressure and stress. Work long hours, think fast and express yourself in a very diplomatic manner. Consulting is not for those who enjoy routine. Within only a week I could fly to several cities to work on different assignments. And if the absence of your favorite NPR station in the middle of Oklahoma can ruin your day, then I would suggest getting a regular 9 to 5 job.

Since I work for a boutique consulting firm, my assignments vary in type (functional or technical) and length. I might be engaged in an internal project one day and in a fully billable, client facing task two weeks later. Homework and documentation are two keys to a victorious ending. It is very important to be prepared and think at least a step ahead, if not outside the box. That way chances to end up in a silly position while trying to explain to the client’s VP why the project is very over budget decrease.

I also used to think that documentation is not necessary. And yet with time I began to see it as a fence built around my house; a strong protection during the windy lightning moments in the conference rooms. Documentation (including emails) becomes even more important when you are leading a team of non-collaborative resources.

Being a leader is not only about assigning tasks, bossing people around, and taking endless lunch breaks to shop at a favorite store. “With great power comes great responsibility”. Every morning while opening a door to the office I keep repeating to myself - remain calm. So far it has been the most difficult goal to achieve as I just cannot tolerate laziness in others.

Since business is business and consulting becomes a highly competitive environment at times, therefore, one has to be very careful when complaining about certain aspects of the demanding and unrewarding project. In such situations I try to remember that my naïve self might ruin my reputation and eventually shut the doors to many opportunities. I might not succeed in all fights, but my goal is to win the entire war. If I miss a few battles, I will only learn from my mistakes.

After getting everything you wanted out of consulting, it’s time to pack your skills and knowledge into a suitcase and move on to a position that provides an opportunity to have a life outside of work