Consultants are “overworked.” Many people hold this impression. So what does an actual day look like? This time, we closely followed a day in the life of Manager Akimasa Shoji, a consultant at ZEIN. We asked him about what he finds fulfilling and challenging about working as a consultant.
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Profile
Akimasa Shoji
ZEIN Co., Ltd. — Manager
While in university, he experienced an internship as an engineer at a venture company. After graduation, he joined the company where he had interned as a new hire. He handled a wide range of work as an engineer, from planning through development and operations. He subsequently joined ZEIN. Since joining in 2018, he has been involved in IT consulting projects for system development and DX promotion. Currently, as a manager, he leads project advancement and team management, and also focuses on developing junior staff.
A Sample Day in Mr. Shoji’s Schedule
6:30
On remote work days he sometimes wakes up a bit later, but when heading to the client’s office he generally wakes up around 6:30 a.m. While riding the bus just after 7 a.m., he checks economics news apps on his smartphone. He grasps the latest industry trends and the latest information on DX and AI while inputting information related to projects.
9:00
Morning meeting with clients and members. Recent progress and challenges are shared, and tasks to be done today are clarified. Particularly in system development projects, schedule management up to release is important, so thorough detailed progress confirmation and risk identification are conducted. Care is taken to proceed carefully, as what is shared influences the flow of subsequent work.
10:00
1-on-1 meeting with project members. Rather than simply confirming progress, care is taken to also talk about whether there are any struggles, and what kind of growth they want to aim for in the future. In addition, advice is given on document creation and client correspondence, and the background of the project is explained in detail with the aim of having them understand the meaning of their work.
11:00
Internal meeting. Aligning understanding on materials to be reported to the client. Since these are materials connected to important project decision-making, the way things are communicated and the story composition are carefully checked. Sometimes referring to past success cases, adjustments are made so as to be able to present more convincing proposals.
12:00
Lunch. Many members eat at the office, but he often goes out to eat for a change of pace. Since remote work has increased, on days when he comes into the office he makes a point of valuing communication during lunchtime.
13:00
Brushing up reporting materials for the client based on the results of the internal meeting. Opinions from the meeting are reflected and organized more logically. In particular, care is taken to summarize key points concisely and to convey things visually using graphs and diagrams so that it is easy for the client to make decisions.
15:00
For a meeting on a separate project, a conference room is borrowed and participation in the meeting is done remotely. Since there are currently multiple projects progressing in parallel, meetings are scheduled at optimal times while adjusting schedules. Since the challenges and objectives differ by client, care is taken to switch mindsets when approaching each one.
16:00
Creating materials for the meeting. Rather than simply making slides, the composition is thought through while being conscious of “how to convince the client.” Care is also taken to simulate the flow of the presentation and organize how things will be explained and which points should be emphasized.
18:00
Client correspondence complete, and final check of materials also finished. Today’s tasks are done and he leaves the office.
19:00
After returning home, time is spent playing with the children, giving baths, and putting them to bed. Stepping away from work mode for a while and valuing family time provides refreshment. After the children go to sleep, he often spends time chatting with his wife in the living room or watching recorded dramas and YouTube.
23:00
Before going to sleep, he thinks about what needs to be done tomorrow. He lightly reviews the content of meetings with clients and progress confirmations, and organizes the schedule for the next day. As necessary, he checks industry news on his smartphone to grasp the latest trends. On weekdays, he prepares for the next day while being mindful of the balance between work and home.
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What Mr. Shoji Thinks and Feels About Being a Consultant
— What do you find most fulfilling in your day-to-day work?
It’s when clients say things like “It was a real help having you here” or “I want to keep working with you more.” Being involved in projects as a consultant, the moments when I feel I’ve genuinely contributed to resolving client challenges are the greatest source of fulfillment. For example, when we successfully completed a project releasing a large-scale system and the client said “You were a real lifesaver,” I felt that my work had real value.
I also find fulfillment when systems or services I was involved in go out into the world. When I see a system or service make the news or see many people using it, I feel proud thinking “I was part of that project.” In particular, being able to advance projects as an IT consultant while leveraging my experience as an engineer is a major motivation for me.
On the other hand, moments when I sense the growth of junior staff also connect to a sense of fulfillment. As a manager, I am required to bring the team together and produce results. I wasn’t naturally good at teaching at first, but when I see junior staff grow and become capable of proactively communicating with clients, or when their proposals get accepted, I feel happy thinking “it really got through.”
— Are there things you find difficult or challenging?
As an IT consultant, around system releases is a challenging time. Even when things are progressing smoothly, troubles very often occur right at the end. How to resolve these situations is the real test. In addition, being in the position of standing between clients and engineers, I also have to be mindful of coordinating both sides’ requests while moving the project forward.
Since becoming a manager, my role has also grown to not only handling my own tasks but also assigning work to team members and managing progress. At first I would sometimes think “it would be faster to do it myself.” However, I gritted my teeth and started working while thinking about how junior staff can grow. While I find developing junior staff to be challenging, I can also feel happy about their growth.
— What kind of consultant do you aim to become going forward?
I want to further develop my own strengths and become a consultant people say “if it’s this project, let’s leave it to Shoji.” When you continue in consulting work, the industries and fields you get involved in tend to become skewed. In my case, I’ve had many projects in the finance industry and IT-related projects, and I’ve been able to deepen my knowledge in these areas. Going forward, I want to leverage this experience and further deepen my specialization, while also challenging new industries and fields to broaden the range I can handle.
Right now I’m in the position of bringing the team together as a manager, but going forward I also want to venture into more strategic proposals. Up until now, I’ve often been in charge of projects assigned by the company, but going forward I want to develop the ability to create and propose projects myself. By doing so, I’ll be able to get more deeply involved in the fields I want to work in, and I think the company will also be able to challenge new domains.
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ZEIN Co., Ltd. Company Information
| Name | ZEIN Co., Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Location | Sumitomo Fudosan Tokyo Mita South Tower, 30F, 3-5-27 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0073 |
| Contact | TEL: 03-6280-4548 (main) FAX: 03-6280-4549 |
| Founded | November 2017 |
| Capital | 41.5 million yen |
| Representative Director | Hirohiko Shigano |
| Number of Employees | 101 (as of April 2024) |
| Group Companies | Carryz Co., Ltd. (100% subsidiary) https://carryz.jp |
| Business Overview | Management strategy consulting Business consulting IT consulting Other businesses CLUB PILATES https://clubpilates.co.jp/ |
| Licenses and Certifications | Worker Dispatch Business (License No.: Dispatch 13-310218) Paid Employment Placement Business (License No.: 13-Yu-309505) JIS Q 27001:2023 (ISO/IEC 27001:2022) (Registration No.: JQA-IM2028) |
