How to Transition Out of Consulting

Consulting firms sell themselves as leadership factories. They promise exposure to senior executives and a clear path to top management roles. And in many cases, they deliver. In fact, more than half of the leadership teams we’ve worked with come from consulting backgrounds. 

But leaving consulting – and knowing when to get out – isn’t as simple as it seems. Ask an MBA student, and they’ll often tell you three years is the magic number. We hear it all the time: “I’ll join a consulting firm, stay three years, and then I’m out.”

Something else we hear all the time is that once in a consulting firm, you’re almost always thinking about leaving. Every day, from day one. But the last project rolls into the next, and days turn into years. Consulting firms are exceptionally good at retaining high performers. (If you’re not achieving, it’s goodbye – the infamous up-or-out principle.) 

So how do you know when to leave and successfully manage your transition out of consulting? At a recent INSEAD alumni event in Paris, former consultants shared how they adjusted to complex corporate environments. Here’s what four INSEAD alumni said they learned along the way:

Adel Haddoud: Let go of the consulting mindset

“The average project in consulting lasts three to four months,” said Adel Haddoud, ex-McKinsey consultant turned start-up founder. “Then, when I moved to corporate roles, projects would last two to three years. And now, in a start-up? I don’t even know what the ‘average project’ is, it’s just my life. I have no idea when anything will be ‘done’.”

Adel left McKinsey after three years without a concrete plan. “Only because I left did I find myself in this ‘void’ where I was finally able to connect with people, have real conversations, and, unexpectedly, land in a job I never saw coming,” he said. After trying corporate roles and returning to consulting a few times, he founded Infinite Orbit, a space venture.

One challenge for ex-consultants, he said, is clinging to analytical habits. “I often feel the need to make decisions intuitively and quickly, but I still find myself relying on Excel sheets or PowerPoint slides.” 

He also warned against expecting others to be analytical, highly articulate and data-driven in their problem-solving: “Not everyone shares the same mindset, and it’s important to acknowledge that and be at peace with it.”

Bozena Adamczyk: Anticipate a major adjustment

After eight years at Deloitte, Bozena Adamczyk knew she didn’t want to become a partner. She joined a large French corporate, telling herself she couldn’t afford to be picky – at least not for her first move. She met the team, saw the project she was supposed to work on, and returned to consulting after two days on the job. 

Her next move was more up her street: joining TripAdvisor as a global controller in the finance department, a role that involved more strategic thinking. She said it took a good six months to adjust.

“The main issue was that, in consulting, it felt like an army, everyone on my team was like me, and it was easy to manage them. But then I found myself in a company with 20 people under me who were completely different. It was a whole new dynamic. And here I was, with fresh energy, wanting to move fast. So, we had to adjust on both sides.”

After that, Bozena worked at two early-stage start-ups, and for the past five years, she has been with Truffle Capital, a VC fund specialising in early-stage investments in FinTech and life sciences.

Zineb Essahli: Define what “impact” means to you 

The desire for a better work-life balance is a big push factor, but Zineb Essahli, who spent six years at McKinsey before joining taxi company G7 as chief of staff, urges consultants to think beyond that. “We say we want to have an impact, but what kind of impact? Do you want to build something new, like a start-up? Or do you want to transform a company that needs to be changed?” 

Asking these questions helped Zineb understand the trade-offs she was willing to make. But one challenge she didn’t anticipate was redefining her identity outside consulting. “It’s something I’ve been working on, building day by day, as I discover what I actually like to do.” She said it’s about figuring out what you’re good at and where you bring value, and shaping a new career path along the way.

She also had to adapt to areas consulting hadn’t exposed her to, like branding, public affairs and managing labour unions. “I had to discover new skillsets – not new words, but I hadn’t fully grasped the impact of these areas,” she said. “These [aspects] are just as important as conducting proper analysis to make good decisions.”

Mathilde Falise: Stay curious and adaptable

Curiosity drove Mathilde Falise to McKinsey, where she stayed for nine years. Now a headhunter at Egon Zehnder, curiosity is also one of the top qualities she looks for in candidates.

Consultants bring strong problem-solving skills and adaptability, making them great candidates for leadership roles. “If we have someone with a consulting background combined with operational experience, that’s a strong addition,” she said.

However, Mathilde warns that former consultants can focus too much on delivering results. “They may not always fully invest in understanding the company’s culture, its rhythm and pace of change, or stakeholder management,” she said.

She encourages consultants aiming for leadership roles to gain operational experience and be open to transversal moves within a company. “Sometimes, it’s better to take that route rather than aiming for a high-profile role, which can become golden cages,” she said. “We don’t always manage to convey this message though, because it contrasts with the one that was promised when they entered consulting.”

From IQ to EQ

While strong analytical and problem-solving skills (IQ) are essential, Adel, Bozena, Zineb and Mathilde’s stories show that they’re not enough to succeed in the corporate world. There is also a need for emotional intelligence (EQ) – the ability to understand and navigate interpersonal relationships. Hard skills like strategic thinking and data analysis can open doors, but soft skills like influence, empathy and communication are what help ex-consultants truly make an impact.

Transitioning from consulting often requires a shift towards greater empathy and recognising that your team might approach problems differently. This can be frustrating at first, but it’s also an important test of adaptability and leadership.

Pivoting from consulting also requires humility. Consulting firms carry prestige, a concept known in sociology as a “status shield”. Many ex-consultants struggle to visualise what their professional identity looks like outside of the brand name they once carried. The sooner you detach your confidence from your past title and focus on the value you bring, the smoother your transition will be.