I’ve been grinding through consulting for three years now, and I’m starting to seriously think about the move into corporate strategy. But here’s what’s been bugging me: I have no idea what I’m actually missing. My casework is solid, my modeling is clean, and I can present, but I keep hearing from people that consulting doesn’t fully prepare you for the real problems strategy teams solve day-to-day.
So I started asking around—not the polished LinkedIn stuff, but real conversations with folks who’ve already made the jump. And the gaps they mentioned surprised me. It’s not the stuff everyone talks about. It’s things like understanding how to operate within a static org structure, how to manage stakeholders who won’t budge, the ability to actually drive implementation instead of just handing off deliverables, and some skills that honestly feel invisible until you’re sitting in that chair.
One person told me that in consulting, you get trained to find the right answer. In corporate strategy, you get trained to find the right answer that people will actually do. That’s a totally different muscle.
I’m trying to figure out which gaps I should start closing now, while I’m still in consulting, so I don’t walk in completely blind. Has anyone else done this exercise? What were the biggest surprises when you actually started?
lol the biggest surprise? realizing your 80-page slide deck means absolutely nothing once you’re inside. corps don’t care about your perfect rec. they care about getting it past three layers of politics and a budget cycle. consulting teaches u to think. strategy teaches u to survive. start learning how to read org dynamics now because that’s what’ll actually move the needle.
this is so helpful! i’ve been worried about exactly this. so should i be focusing on like, stakeholder management stuff? or understanding how budgets actually work? trying to map out what to learn before i even apply.
Your intuition is correct. The transition reveals three critical gaps most consultants face. First, systems thinking—understanding how decisions propagate through interconnected organizational structures rather than solving isolated problems. Second, organizational politics and influence without authority, which consulting doesn’t expose you to systematically. Third, execution accountability. In consulting, you deliver and leave. In corporate strategy, you own outcomes across 18-month horizons. I’d recommend spending your remaining consulting time intentionally observing how recommendations actually get implemented inside client organizations rather than just completing the engagement.
You’re already asking the right questions, which puts you ahead! Start shadowing implementation teams on your current projects. You’ll pick up so much just by being curious about what happens after the handoff. You’ve got this!
I did exactly what you’re thinking about before I left. I asked my client contacts point-blank—what would’ve helped if I was staying? And one strategy director told me, ‘stop thinking like a consultant solving for perfection. start thinking like a strategist solving for momentum.’ That shifted how I operated in my last two engagements. I started asking ‘what’s the minimum viable insight that moves us forward’ instead of ‘what’s the complete answer.’
and honestly? half the people who say they struggle are just mad they’re not the smartest person in the room anymore. that part sucks but it’s not a ‘skill gap’—it’s an ego adjustment. the real gap is understanding that corp strategy is 40% thinking and 60% selling your idea to people who have different incentives than you.
ok so like, should i be asking my managers to put me on projects where i can see the implementation side? or would that seem weird?
Not weird at all! Managers love when people show genuine curiosity about the full picture. Just ask—most of them will respect the initiative and help you find those opportunities.