By Stacy Collett

Joe O'Leary

Age: 41

Years as a consultant: 19

North American managing partner, customer and channel solutions, Andersen

Joe O'Leary had no intention of getting a real job when he interviewed with Arthur Andersen for an internship in 1982. He was merely looking for "some kind of experience" before he went to law school. Some 19 years later, he hasn't gotten around to leaving the firm. Today, he leads one of Andersen's hottest segments, the customer relationship management practice in North America.

O'Leary owes his success to several calculated risks that paid off.

Rung # 1:

O'Leary was attracted to the Andersen internship by the prestige he perceived it held among professors and other students. But he was apprehensive about joining an accounting firm with his economics degree. After taking that chance, he quickly learned that he liked the firm's people and culture, and could be successful there.

Rung # 2:

O'Leary made a second risky move in 1991, when he decided to make the switch to the firm's fledgling business consulting division. "I was looking for something new to do and decided to make the jump. Some colleagues thought that was risky in a small group. But that was clearly a key decision in my career." The division took off, and O'Leary was promoted to partner in 1993 at age 32.

Rung # 3:

The same year he made partner, O'Leary was asked to lead a study on what makes companies successful and how they focus in on the customer. The global study took him to British Airways, Caterpillar, and other companies that are recognized leaders in customer service. That study built knowledge capital around the customer service space and led to a leadership position in Andersen's customer and channels solutions practice. "That was the kernel that started it eight years ago." Since then, Andersen's CRM practice has grown 70 percent year over year.

Under Control

This Andersen consultant keeps stress levels under control by running in marathons and training each morning at 5 a.m. He completed the Chicago Marathon in October and also has entered the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. He attributes a balance of work and family life to his success.

O'Leary advises consultants who are climbing the ladder to focus on relationships with their peers. "The people who are your peers are going to form the leadership and the future of the firm. If you do the right thing and support your peers, that will serve you well in the long term."

He also recommends that consultants develop some expertise that is recognizable in the marketplace. "Be famous for something. Be sure you're relevant to the marketplace at all times."

Finally, reinvent yourself a few times during your career. "Very few things have staying power over 19 years."

Stewart Jackson

Age: 40

Years as a consultant: 17

Partner, LEK Consulting, Chicago

Stewart Jackson's head was in the clouds back in 1982 when he went to work at British Aerospace. His degree in engineering had led him to an internship at the company, and he expected to become a full-time employee.

But the Brit quickly learned how easy it was to do very little and get paid for it. "The trick was to walk around the plant carrying a piece of paper" and people would think you were busy, he recalls. "They expected me to spend two to three years watching what other people did. They weren't even real jobs."

While "getting over" might have appealed to some interns, Jackson had higher ambitions. He met with London-based LEK Consulting at a campus recruiting event. "LEK had massively higher expectations for what a college graduate is supposed to do," he says. "I felt I could make a real impact." He joined the firm as a research associate in 1984.

Over the next 17 years, he would climb the ladder to the highest post at LEK's Chicago office by following his own interests and not being afraid of change.

Rung # 1:

During his first years at LEK, Jackson was taken under the wing of one of LEK's founders, Richard Koch, who continued to promote his work until Koch left the firm. "In consulting, people develop favorites. I ended up working with him a lot, and he liked my work."

Rung # 2:

After two and a half years with LEK, the company sponsored Jackson's return to business school in Paris. While in school, Jackson spent the summer of 1987 working at LEK's newly opened office in Los Angeles. There he was captivated by the U.S. lifestyle.

By the end of the summer, Jackson realized that he wanted to stay in the U.S. "I felt that the U.S. was the leading edge of innovation" and that the small office could provide more opportunities to make a contribution. Jackson stayed in L.A. for six years and was promoted to partner in 1993.

Rung # 3:

At the same time, LEK acquired the consulting and education division of The Alcar Group in Chicago. Both sides agreed that the two firms were a great fit, but none of the experienced partners wanted to move to the Midwest. So Jackson stepped up to the plate.

"I figured I could be #4 in L.A. or have my own little show in Chicago," Jackson recalls. So in 1994, Jackson headed for Chicago. Today, he heads the office of 40 employees, including four other partners. Revenues have grown, on average, 32 percent per year over the last seven years. His office has now surpassed the L.A. office in size.

Jackson says that he got to the top by making each move for fun, not just for career advancement. "Then you're more likely to succeed and enjoy it."

He advises other consultants not to be afraid of change. "If you don't like it, you can always change back."

Christy Bass

Age: 42

Years as a consultant: 21

Partner, solutions engineering, and eAI global partner lead, Accenture, Dallas

In the early 1980s in Texas, college graduates were interested in entering only two fields — oil & gas and banking. Christy Bass was no exception. But during a campus recruiting event, Arthur Andersen convinced her that she could experience those two industries from a consultant's vantage point. In June 1981, she joined Andersen's management information consulting division, and over the next 21 years she would ascend from consultant to service line creator to leader of Accenture's global enterprise application integration practice.

Rung # 1:

After two years of working on oil & gas projects, Bass was promoted to consultant, which built her confidence. "Although it's a young responsibility point, to really take on management and client relationship ownership for the engagements I was working at was a big step." Suddenly, she had 80 people working under her direction on engagements. "That's when I really had the confidence to deliver something really important for our clients."

Rung # 2:

A few years later, she would meet and become longtime friends with Accenture CEO Joe Forehand, who at one time served as managing partner of the Dallas office. She also befriended mentors Karl Newkirk and Ed Fikse.

Ten years into her career, Bass became a partner and was asked to help create Andersen Consulting's first service line — ERP/SAP. "What was wonderful about the first service line (in 1991) was that it would be cross-industry and global. We needed to build deep skills that could be deployed across industries and be globally irrespective in individual organizations," she says.

That service line grew from 250 people in 1994 to 6,000 globally in 2000. The service line served as a blueprint for Bass's current role in creating a global eAI practice.

Rung # 3:

Also in 1991, Bass was asked to join a committee examining the retention of women in senior management and partner positions. Her ten years at Andersen gave her a deep sensitivity to "what it means for a woman to be successful in the eyes of our peers, our superiors, our subordinates, and ourselves."

The easy explanation for the attrition of women was the demand of family and travel. But when Bass and her colleagues peeled the onion, they discovered that these women were not leaving the workforce — just the firm. Most women left because they didn't have an informal network for mentoring at higher levels. So Accenture began a network for mentoring women that's been in place for ten years and has dramatically increased its retention of women.

Today, Bass is managing partner for Accenture's global eAI practice, responsible for building the skills and capabilities around eAI software and for the executive relationships with eAI software companies. The group expected to grow from 2,500 experienced eAI practitioners in 2000 to 4,000 last year.

Bass says that consultants must "yearn to learn" if they want to succeed. "At some point you're not going to be told what to learn. Being a sponge and being up on issues and trends has to come from within."

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