The Partner Profile: What Makes Consulting Leaders Tick

The Partner Profile: What Makes Consulting Leaders Tick

In our search mandates for Consulting Partners, a question that comes up quite naturally is: “What makes a Consulting Partner truly exceptional?” We keep having thought-provoking discussions on the nature of the Consulting Partner, and the patterns that converge are interesting.

The qualities that we believe separate the standouts from the good ones go well beyond technical skills – though those certainly matter, too.

What Today's Consulting Partners Actually Look Like

The Partner role has evolved dramatically, and it's fascinating to watch. The days of the generalist rainmaker are fading. Here's what I'm seeing work across the table:

1. Revenue Generation Pressure Starts Right Away – But With A Twist  Unlike other executives who might get 6-12 months to show impact, Consulting Partners face immediate revenue expectations. This often happens while they're still restricted by non-competes from accessing their client base. The numbers still matter – typically starting from EUR 3M+ annually. But what's changed completely is how that revenue happens. The old-school "golf and dinner" approach rarely cuts it anymore. The Partners who thrive today have transformed themselves from vendors into thinking partners for the C-suite.

2. Expertise With Horizontal Vision  We are noticing an interesting shift here. Being "pretty good at everything" doesn't work anymore. The market wants deep, credible expertise in something specific – whether that's an industry (consumer products, healthcare, fintech), function (digital transformation, sustainability), or technical area (AI, cloud architecture).

But here's the paradox – this specialist still needs to be a senior leader able to see across silos. The best Partners have deep expertise that serves as their foundation, but they can connect dots across practice areas that others miss.

3. The Talent Magnet Factor  This one often gets overlooked, but it's crucial. Great Partners create gravity – people want to work on their teams. When I'm evaluating Partner candidates, I always ask myself: "Do people follow this leader? Will this Partner function as the center of a high-performing team?" The ones who inspire loyalty and attract top talent are worth their weight in gold. I've seen technically brilliant Partners fail because they couldn't build and maintain teams.

4. Thought Leadership That Actually Leads  Gone are the days when publishing a white paper once a year checked the box. Today's Partners need to be visible, vocal champions of ideas. But it can't be fluff – clients can spot superficial thinking a mile away. The Partners who thrive are genuinely shaping how their clients think about critical issues.

5. Cultural Navigation Skills  Consulting firms are not monolithic entities. In reality, they're complex ecosystems with their own politics, traditions, and unwritten rules. The best Partners can navigate these waters with authenticity – getting things done without playing politics (or at least, without seeming to). It's a rare skill.

The Partnership Paradox

The very qualities that make someone a star Senior Manager or Principal (client service excellence, technical depth, project execution) are necessary but by far not sufficient for Partner success.

We see this all the time. Brilliant Senior Managers or Principals may struggle as Partners because the role demands an entirely different skillset: business building, market sensing, and organizational leadership. It's a fundamentally different job, yet we often promote people based on their performance in the previous one.

This paradox creates both opportunities and challenges for firms developing future leaders and for consultants plotting their own paths. Understanding this shift is critical whether you're hiring Partners or aiming to become one.

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

• Marion Heil is the founder and managing director of Board+CEO Advisors. She is based in Vienna.