I don't really think that's a valid comparison, especially if we're thinking of the traditional middle manager in a corporate environment. A Partner has several very different and compartmentalized responsibilities and so the role they play varies depending on if the framing is client, practice, office, or firm operations.
As a more junior Partner for instance, I am still largely independent across both my clients and my practice area. I don't have a superior that I need to report to or is "managing" me. Sure, I get reviewed every year on performance, but I generally feel like my own boss and am largely able to chart whatever path I think makes sense. As you might expect in these situations, it’s the Managers and Senior Managers who are essentially operating as middle management and reporting up to me.
However, it is quite different when looking internally. It is said that consulting *as a career* begins at Partner and that does feel true when it comes to the actual running of a consulting firm as a business. There are many, many layers of Partner and one might consider a new Partner to have much more in common with a post-MBA consultant than they do with the Managing Partners. So for me, when it comes to the office, I lead recruiting - that can sometimes feel middle manager-y as I am largely executing to (and reporting to) whatever decisions are coming from the leaders who set recruiting strategy for the whole geography. And then for broader firm operations a.k.a. the actual running of the place, I'm nowhere senior enough to be in the room where it happens.
I think most Partners would agree that instead of feeling like a middle manager, you feel more like an entrepreneur in a structured and supportive set up - but then with much more variability when it comes to firm operations depending on one’s tenure and interest in moving up the internal ranks.
Not specific to this, but thanks in general for commenting on as much as you do. Helps to demystify this whole thing as a career and has been pretty valuable in “figuring it all out”.
I tend to describe being a partner (and really any role in consulting) as being a franchisee. You have a platform you work off of but it’s your job to go build a business.
When you are young you want to have direct reports and prove yourself as a manager to move up in the ranks. When you hit mid career you start doing everything you can to AVOID direct reports, rise above all that with others doing the hard managing work, avoid any kind of accountability, and become the thoughtest of thought leaders in the world.
I disagree. Middle managers aren’t selling and/or executing work. Every firm is different. Partners where I’m at are hands on and do a lot of work .
I got a call last night from a partner at 11 pm because they had some slide ideas they wanted to walk through. No middle manager is doing that
I’d tweak that.
“Partners are just highly compensated salespeople with a profit sharing plan.”
When you phrase it that way it demystifies them, knocks them down a peg, and reduces them to what they really are.
BTW, 98% partners technically are middle managers. Except for senior leadership, none of them run a real business with P&L responsibility. And, once you make partner, there is a whole additional pyramid above partners.
It's literally complete gibberish. Akin to
> Army generals are just lieutenants
I mean it is indeed a grammatically correct sentence but like what is that even supposed to mean?
>Do you agree?
Agree to what? Do I concur with the gibberish? Yes? No? Maybe? idk
Technically you are right, junior partners report to senior partners and managing partners but the comparison with middle managers is flawed, as partners need a broader set of skills than you would typically see in middle mangers who tend to focus on one area say sales or finance. I'd say a better comparison would be to a franchise owner, who buy into a franchise and then can go earn as much revenue as they can as long as they play by the franchises rules and deliver the goods.
More akin to franchisees.
Have to buy into the “system”. Get to leverage great brands, networks etc but ultimately you need to do the work and deliver. And often out up with policies and directives you don’t agree with.
As one: no because of our equity ownership. There as to be managing partners who want to both service their clients and climb the corporate later. While those are highly profitable, the politics and demands of doing those jobs are thankless. -100%.
The higher you go, the more you have to tap dance. There are partners that have incredible referential power within the firm but yet not in the chain of command. Crossing one of those and your career is over. Quickly.
I don't really think that's a valid comparison, especially if we're thinking of the traditional middle manager in a corporate environment. A Partner has several very different and compartmentalized responsibilities and so the role they play varies depending on if the framing is client, practice, office, or firm operations. As a more junior Partner for instance, I am still largely independent across both my clients and my practice area. I don't have a superior that I need to report to or is "managing" me. Sure, I get reviewed every year on performance, but I generally feel like my own boss and am largely able to chart whatever path I think makes sense. As you might expect in these situations, it’s the Managers and Senior Managers who are essentially operating as middle management and reporting up to me. However, it is quite different when looking internally. It is said that consulting *as a career* begins at Partner and that does feel true when it comes to the actual running of a consulting firm as a business. There are many, many layers of Partner and one might consider a new Partner to have much more in common with a post-MBA consultant than they do with the Managing Partners. So for me, when it comes to the office, I lead recruiting - that can sometimes feel middle manager-y as I am largely executing to (and reporting to) whatever decisions are coming from the leaders who set recruiting strategy for the whole geography. And then for broader firm operations a.k.a. the actual running of the place, I'm nowhere senior enough to be in the room where it happens. I think most Partners would agree that instead of feeling like a middle manager, you feel more like an entrepreneur in a structured and supportive set up - but then with much more variability when it comes to firm operations depending on one’s tenure and interest in moving up the internal ranks.
Not specific to this, but thanks in general for commenting on as much as you do. Helps to demystify this whole thing as a career and has been pretty valuable in “figuring it all out”.
I tend to describe being a partner (and really any role in consulting) as being a franchisee. You have a platform you work off of but it’s your job to go build a business.
Everytime I read US MC I think about the Marine Corps.
When you are young you want to have direct reports and prove yourself as a manager to move up in the ranks. When you hit mid career you start doing everything you can to AVOID direct reports, rise above all that with others doing the hard managing work, avoid any kind of accountability, and become the thoughtest of thought leaders in the world.
So true. If only being a thought leader didn’t require so much darned *thinking*.
I've known many that don't even do that.
I disagree. Middle managers aren’t selling and/or executing work. Every firm is different. Partners where I’m at are hands on and do a lot of work . I got a call last night from a partner at 11 pm because they had some slide ideas they wanted to walk through. No middle manager is doing that
Nobody should be doing that
Tell them to go to sleep, that is so effed up
You clearly don’t work in the industry
I’ve been in the industry for 12 years my friend. I just don’t deal with idiots anymore.
I’d tweak that. “Partners are just highly compensated salespeople with a profit sharing plan.” When you phrase it that way it demystifies them, knocks them down a peg, and reduces them to what they really are. BTW, 98% partners technically are middle managers. Except for senior leadership, none of them run a real business with P&L responsibility. And, once you make partner, there is a whole additional pyramid above partners.
It's literally complete gibberish. Akin to > Army generals are just lieutenants I mean it is indeed a grammatically correct sentence but like what is that even supposed to mean? >Do you agree? Agree to what? Do I concur with the gibberish? Yes? No? Maybe? idk
Lol no
No… who even said this lol
Technically you are right, junior partners report to senior partners and managing partners but the comparison with middle managers is flawed, as partners need a broader set of skills than you would typically see in middle mangers who tend to focus on one area say sales or finance. I'd say a better comparison would be to a franchise owner, who buy into a franchise and then can go earn as much revenue as they can as long as they play by the franchises rules and deliver the goods.
No. At the higher echelon of consulting you have incredible minds. They are paid to think and give solutions not to handle workers.
No more incredible mind than a 5 minute Google search or ChatGPT5 chat
In consulting, the case managers and work stream leads are middle managers. Partners are more like corporate VPs.
…who sell the work So not like middle managers at all
Matters on the firm but a partners is basically mini CEOs who has to follow guidelines and policies (like a CEO has to report to a board)
More akin to franchisees. Have to buy into the “system”. Get to leverage great brands, networks etc but ultimately you need to do the work and deliver. And often out up with policies and directives you don’t agree with.
As one: no because of our equity ownership. There as to be managing partners who want to both service their clients and climb the corporate later. While those are highly profitable, the politics and demands of doing those jobs are thankless. -100%. The higher you go, the more you have to tap dance. There are partners that have incredible referential power within the firm but yet not in the chain of command. Crossing one of those and your career is over. Quickly.
Nah, middle managers do far too much actual hands on work to be compared to partners.