Big Four Partners Share the Advice That Helped Them Reach the Top

There’s no silver bullet to nailing a successful career at the Big Four — but here’s some advice that might help.

Business Insider asked seven leaders who have become partners at some of the world’s top consulting and accounting firms about the lessons that helped carry them through their careers.

From how to approach clients to what to say when offered a new role, this is the advice that seven members of one of the corporate world’s most exclusive clubs say helped them navigate major career decisions and impress bosses.

Think three steps ahead

Jason LaRue, the national managing partner of KPMG’s talent and culture organization, told BI that the best piece of advice he has ever received is to “try to understand the bigger picture of whatever situation you’re operating in.”

Think to yourself, “What are the second and third consequences of the choices that you’re making?” LaRue said, adding that that applies to both developing your own career and how you serve clients.

“When you deeply understand the client you’re serving, they sometimes can hardly tell the difference between the people who work for them every day and you.

“That’s when you’ll not only be able to see yourself progress really fast inside our organization, but your clients will love you and want to work with you for life,” he said.

Specialize to stand out from the competition

Mark Truchan, a partner in PwC’s customs and international trade division, told BI that a year or two into his career, someone gave him advice that helped shape his next moves at the Big Four firm — there is value in being specialized.

“That was one of the benefits of being in trade. I was always interested in the subject matter, but I started to learn very quickly that this was a hyper-specialized area, especially 20 years ago,” Truchan said.

There are a lot of generalists out there who want to do everything, and “everyone’s interested in deals,” he said.

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But finding a niche where you can be the expert puts you in constant demand, he said — “when you hyper-specialize in something, all that work falls to you and you can advance more quickly because you’re given more opportunity to gain technical expertise with less competition.”

Don’t assume the client needs you

Carla DeSantis, a partner and lead of PwC’s consumer goods sector in the US, said that how you interact with clients matters to your success at the Big Four.

She said that the approach that she has stuck to has been: don’t presume that the client needs you, and don’t enter the room presuming that you have the answer.

“I want to know what your problem statement is, and I want to understand why you think it is important to you as the client.”

DeSantis said that she turns up to client meetings with hypotheses about where they could do better, “because I’ve done my homework and research, and I have experience that backs it up.” But listening to the client’s expectations is “what makes me a better consultant,” she said.

If you succeed with your client relationships, your employer will see that. “But it’s always about the client’s success. Ours will then be a by-product,” DeSantis said.

Take every opportunity to gain experience

Nargis Yunis is a partner and the head of asset management at Forvis Mazars. She was formerly a partner at EY and has also worked at PwC throughout her 24-year career in the industry.

Yunis told BI that the advice that had helped guide her career was to take every opportunity to gain experience to ensure she was well-rounded.

“It’s not always about the money, it’s about the opportunity and what you’ll learn from that opportunity,” Yunis said, adding that if you can develop yourself and your skills, “that in itself will contribute to earning more in the future.”

Do things that scare you

Three of the partners that BI interviewed said that the most important piece of advice for a Big Four career was to step into the unknown.

Rema Serafi, the first woman to serve as KPMG’s vice chair of tax and a member of the firm’s eight-person management committee, said that getting out of her comfort zone had helped propel her forward in her career.

“If I were to map out the best moments of my career, some of which are small and some big, it’s always the times when I felt uncomfortable,” Serafi told BI.

She recalled “career-defining moments” like being asked to go to London for three months on a big project and getting up in front of fellow partners at meetings, and agreeing to give a training on a new set of regulations as a senior associate. “I’m not sure why I accepted that, but I did it and gained a lot of brand value from doing that,” she said.

Yolanda Seals-Coffield, the chief people and inclusion officer for PwC’s US branch, joined the Big Four firm after a 25-year career in law.

She said that the one principle that has guided her career has been “do the things that scare you.”

If offered an opportunity, you can do one of two things: either you get afraid that you’re going to fail and let imposter syndrome take over, or you can “lean in, trust others around you for support and be successful,” said Seals-Coffield.

“I’ve consistently thought to myself, is there a decent chance that I will fail at what I’m about to do? And if there is, then I should do it because the opportunity for growth could be incredible.”

“You’ve got to get comfortable with being uncomfortable,” was also Becky Sproul’s top piece of advice.

Sproul’s example from her own career was the moment when she was asked to pivot from her role delivering client service to her current role as head of talent and culture for KPMG’s audit division. After 30 years on the client-facing side of the business, she said she was filled with uncertainty about what the job would entail.

“Throughout my career, I’ve never been set up to fail,” Spoul said. “The opportunities and tasks you’re being given are because someone sees that ability in you, even if you don’t see it in yourself.”

If stepping into the unknown doesn’t come naturally to you, Sproul’s advice is to “lean into your network and your mentors to help you believe in yourself.”

Do you have a story to share about your career as a consultant? Contact this reporter at pthompson@businessinsider.com.