I’ve been eyeing a move from MBB to a corporate strategy role at a F100 company. Everyone talks about the obvious skill transfers, but what actually blindsided you veterans post-transition? I’m particularly nervous about the shift from project bursts to continuous ownership. Did internal politics or slower decision-making catch you off guard? How did you adapt your consulting toolkit to land AND thrive? Let’s get real about the hidden potholes here. What’s the one thing you wish you’d known before making the leap?
lol ‘strategy’ role. let me guess - you’ll spend 6 months making slides about synergy while product teams ignore you. real talk: the challenge isn’t politics, it’s realizing you traded problem-solving for babysitting exec egos. pro tip: master saying ‘we’re aligning stakeholders’ with a straight face.
you’ll miss exit opportunities more than you think. corp strat looks good on paper until you’re stuck in budget cycles instead of solving real problems. biggest shock? how little anyone cares about your fancy frameworks once you’re on the inside. adapt by learning to measure success in naps taken during meetings.
wait does certifications like cfa help here? im trying to network but idk if my 2yrs consulting xp is enough. heard some ppl struggle getting buy-in from ops teams?? pls advice!!
Three critical adaptations: 1) Shift from delivering answers to building consensus - your slides now require 8 stakeholder reviews. 2) Learn operational cadences; quarterly business reviews dictate priorities more than any analysis. 3) Develop internal alliances early - your influence depends less on rigor and more on trust capital accumulated through hallway conversations.
The hidden trap? Overestimating strategic thinking parity. In consulting, clients pay for your recommendations. Internally, you’re competing with 20-year veterans’ institutional knowledge. Early win strategy: Identify one under-served exec (usually CFO org) and become their embedded problem-solver before expanding influence. Document everything - corporate memory is short.
You’ve got this! The skills translate way more than you think 
Biggest upside? Actual ownership of outcomes vs. handing off decks! Just stay curious and build ally’s in legal/ops early. Sooooo rewarding long-term!
Had a rude awakening when my first ‘strategic initiative’ got killed during budget season. Turns out aligning with the CFO’s pet projects matters more than ROI models. Now I bake in 3+ approval layers before proposing anything. Still miss the adrenaline of client presentations though!
2023 survey of 127 ex-MBB in corporate strategy shows: 68% cite internal negotiation as top skill gap vs 22% mentioning technical skills. Average 5.2 month ramp-up period. Pro tip: Target companies where strategy reports directly to CEO - 3x faster decision cycles in our dataset.