When people hear “consultant,” many think “demanding work.” But what does a consultant’s day actually look like? In this article, we follow a day in the life of Wanping Lyu, Manager of the Growth Strategy team within Globe-ing Inc.’s Strategy Consulting Division, and ask him about both the rewarding moments and the tough parts of being a consultant.
Profile
Wanping Lyu
Globe-ing Inc.
Strategy Consulting Division, Growth Strategy Team — Manager
After completing graduate school, he joined Accenture as a new graduate. Focused on SCM, he worked on system-build projects for major Japanese companies and supported business improvement in the automotive industry. After about five years of experience, he joined Globe-ing in October 2023. He is currently a Manager on the Growth Strategy team within the Strategy Consulting Division, leading a wide range of projects, from business reform to system integration. Leveraging his language skills, he is also involved in performance management for the group’s Chinese subsidiary.
A day in Lyu’s schedule
9:00
Because the company has flextime, he typically arrives between 9:00 and 10:00, depending on meetings and the day’s workload. After arriving, he checks email and chat and responds to messages from the client. He prioritizes anything that affects project progress and reaches out to stakeholders as needed.
9:30
Meeting with the project team. They confirm the day’s tasks, share any new issues that have emerged, and look for solutions. He often receives questions from team members, and at times advises on how to approach the work.
10:00
Organizes the content of yesterday’s client meeting and prepares the report-out deck. He designs the structure so the meeting’s purpose and key points come through, and adds concrete data to make it easy to follow. To support the client’s decision-making, he keeps the deck simple and logical.
11:00
Meeting with the client’s project owner. They report on progress and exchange views on the next initiatives. He starts by making the purpose of the meeting clear and watches that the discussion does not drift. He also makes sure to spell out the next actions at the end. After the meeting, he uses an AI tool developed within Globe-ing to automatically generate the minutes, reviews the content, and shares it with the stakeholders.
12:00
Right after the client meeting, he debriefs with team members. They organize the points that surfaced and the client’s reactions, and adjust how to move forward. Even when the debrief is short, he makes sure to carve out the time and clearly define the next actions.
12:30
Meeting on internal hiring. He is actively involved in recruiting too — the team discusses new-graduate hiring strategy and prepares for hiring events.
13:00
Lunch break. He often goes to lunch with project members and colleagues in the same generation. He is also a member of the company’s golf club, so lunch sometimes doubles as time to chat with golf-club members. When time is short, he grabs something from the food truck downstairs or a bento from the convenience store.
14:00
Researches the client’s industry and competitors, and compiles information that will be useful for the project. He updates the progress-management materials and gets them into shape for the next meeting. He tries to secure plenty of time for organizing materials and information — including data analysis and reading market reports.
16:00
Meeting with the client’s senior management and business leads. He keeps the discussion focused on the points that drive the client’s decision. He delivers the information the client needs precisely and also advises from both short-term and medium- to long-term strategic perspectives.
17:00
Meeting with the Shanghai-based group company. They review business reports and the plan for the office launch. He aims to understand the local situation and coordinate with headquarters to resolve issues smoothly.
17:30
Organizes tomorrow’s schedule and clarifies the tasks to do. He also prepares the proposal materials needed to move the current project into its next phase. He considers and organizes what kind of support the client needs to create new value.
18:30
Meeting in a conference room with the partner involved in the project. They check progress and debate the key issues. He receives direct feedback from the partner on the points he is wrestling with, and uses it as input for deciding how to move forward. The discussion often gets heated.
19:30
Heads home. On days he comes in to the office, he often goes out for dinner with colleagues. They talk not just about work but also hobbies, deepening the relationships. On days he works from home, he goes to the gym or to the driving range to refresh.
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Lyu’s thoughts and feelings about being a consultant
― What do you find rewarding in your daily work?
The biggest reward is feeling that, by solving client challenges, I am helping change Japan as a whole for the better. Consulting is not just giving advice — it is moving projects forward with the client, and ultimately leading to organizational and operational transformation. At Globe-ing, which is small and elite, each person’s role is large. Because of that, your decisions and actions can directly affect a project’s outcome and the client’s growth. The responsibility is heavy, and that is exactly what makes the work so stimulating.
An environment where I can keep growing is also a major draw. I enjoy taking on challenges, so finding fun in expanding my own limits while facing new problems is part of what makes this work great. Beyond the client, growing together with team members is also rewarding. Moments where you sense “the client or someone on the team has moved one step forward” — that is, in my view, the essence of Globe-ing’s work.
― What do you find tough about the job?
Because the skills and knowledge required differ by project, having to constantly catch up on new things is tough. Because our individual discretion is large, I felt real pressure at first.
I also pay close attention to relationship-building with clients. On some projects, “consultants = people who do everything for you” is a real perception. Of course, I want to support as much as I can, but in the end the client has to be able to run things themselves — otherwise it is meaningless. So the hard part is reading where we should take it on and where the client should drive things.
― What kind of consultant do you want to be going forward?
So far I have built experience around IT and project management, but going forward I want to deepen my industry expertise. Having deep knowledge of a specific industry should let me deliver more valuable consulting. I want to become someone where clients say, “If it’s this area, let’s ask Lyu.”
I also want to be able to perform in a global environment. I have an international background to begin with, so I want to actively engage with overseas clients and global projects going forward. To start, I would like to gradually take on global projects as additions to my current work.
As a manager, I also want to invest in developing junior members. Continuing to challenge myself matters, of course, but providing challenge opportunities to team members and creating an environment where we grow together is also important. To build a career as a consultant in particular, it is important to take on slightly harder work. So rather than only giving juniors tasks they can already do, I want to give them tasks that stretch them, support them properly, and drive their growth.
Globe-ing Inc. — Company information
| Company name | Globe-ing Inc. |
| URL | https://www.globe-ing.com/ |
| Representatives | Representative Director Sosuke Wajima President & Representative Director Kohei Tanaka |
| Capital | JPY 90 million |
| Employees | 200 * Approximate as of end of February 2024, including subsidiary employees |
| Offices | [Gaienmae New Office] 3rd MINAMI AOYAMA 11F, 3-1-34 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062 [Gaienmae South Office] Forum Building 10F, 2-24-11 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062 |
| Business | ・Digital services (Octagon Service) ・Strategy consulting ・DX consulting ・Digital Analytics / Data Service |
