Letters

I have been at Deloitte Consulting since 1997. This firm has many tremendous assets such as high-caliber talent, extremely motivated professionals, and a strong basis for success through its methodologies and experiences. But, as with all firms, many improvements could still be made, and I would like to address specifically those described in the article.
Third Fridays are designed to foster networking but they are often a missed opportunity, as many partners and senior managers (the very people one should be networking with) do not participate. I specifically recall a partner informing us that he was going to come to a Third Friday for the first time, despite his many years with the firm. Moreover, Third Fridays often include information on firm performance but not specifically training sessions (such as a review of key components of data warehousing or a high-level view of HTML).
Training programs are not as efficiently provided as they should be. Professionals are often asked to forgo training if on a project and, for the sake of billability, many are forced to neglect training
Too much emphasis is placed on networking for getting staffed, and often new professionals find themselves unstaffed for a relatively long period of time.

Consultant (name withheld upon request)

Deloitte told us that Third Fridays were also a vehicle for learning. Last November, nearly 5,000 staff participated in a 40-hour e-business certification program delivered at Third Friday events and on-line. The firm also cited several programs for its staff professional growth, including traditional classroom and virtual learning, where more than 1,600 courses are offered through a Web portal. — Editor

I enjoyed reading the article "The Best Consulting Firms to Work For." As someone who has been with three different consulting firms in six different cities over the past 14 years, I found that the research validates many of my own observations:
"Not every organization is for everyone." While this may appear somewhat obvious, each of the three firms had dramatically different cultures, nuances of which were expressed at the local office level. As one of my former colleagues said: "I would have adjusted better to the transfer if I had acted like I was going to a different company."
"Each person needs to take ownership of his or her own career development" and "If you need hand-holding, go to another firm." All the firms emphasized initiative and achievement-orientation, big-time. Consultants can be as successful as they choose to be. While consulting firms don't weed out the weak like a pack of jackals, one can get left behind very quickly.
William M. Mercer appeared to be a "less stress-filled" company. While it may be that — as Mercer is my current employer — I have just learned to better manage stress, I have found Mercer to place a significant emphasis on collaboration and teamwork. Sure, there's stress associated with demanding clients, but the "teaming process" and a spirit of pitching in permeate the organization, balanced with an equal emphasis on individual contribution. Which fits me fine and probably explains why I've spent the majority of my consulting career (and counting!) with Mercer.
And, I finally have some reading material I can give my relatives who ask what it's like to work for a consulting firm!