Transitioning from the structured, methodical world of consulting into the fast‑paced, ever‑shifting realm of startups was less a career change and more a personal evolution. In consulting, success was often measured by the precision of your analysis, the polish of your slides, and the thoroughness with which you anticipated every possible variable. Perfection wasn’t just valued—it was expected. Every recommendation had to be defensible, backed by data, and vetted through multiple layers of approval. That environment conditioned me to plan exhaustively, to define every scenario before committing to a single decision.
Startup life, however, operates on an entirely different wavelength. Progress replaces perfection as the central currency of value. Decisions are made not after weeks of review but in moments of imperfect clarity. I learned that clarity does not emerge from endless deliberation; it comes from action, iteration, and the courage to learn publicly. In a young company, opportunities rarely wait for you to ‘finish analyzing.’ The market moves, competitors pivot, and waiting for certainty can mean watching a door of possibility close forever.
What surprised me most was how liberating this shift felt once I stopped resisting it. The uncomfortable truth was that my old habits—documenting every assumption, double‑checking every figure, waiting for alignment—had become forms of hesitation disguised as diligence. In the startup context, that hesitation cost speed, and speed often determines survival. Boldness, even when imperfect, builds momentum; momentum, in turn, creates learning loops that no spreadsheet can replicate.
I also discovered that communication transforms when you trade consulting’s formality for a founder’s immediacy. There is no room for polished diplomacy when your small team needs direction now. Speaking up, even when uncertain, can save countless hours of misalignment later. The kind of leadership that startups demand is candid, instinctual, and deeply human—driven as much by trust as by process.
Looking back, the hardest skill to unlearn was the instinct to overprepare before acting. Growth—both personal and organizational—thrives on decisive experimentation, not perfect planning. Learning to embrace incomplete information, to move first and refine later, became my greatest asset. The founder’s mindset isn’t about rejecting structure or strategy; it’s about applying just enough of both to keep moving forward without paralysis.
If consulting taught me the discipline to think, startup life taught me the courage to do. The sooner we accept that progress outpaces perfection, the closer we get to creating real impact. The real transformation lies not in changing careers but in changing the way one measures success—from flawless execution to fearless exploration.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/mckinsey-consultant-startup-founder-unlearn-habits-skills-havana-nathan-wangliao-2026-1
