In the Spring of 2003, Don Counsell seemed to have it all going his way. He had a beautiful wife,
two wonderful young sons, and a promising career with one of the world's preeminent
consulting firms. He had just been rated in the top 5% of all Managers within the Firm, and had
been promoted to Senior Manager. Now he was spending his days in one of the most beautiful
parts of America, helping a prominent winery to identify and evaluate cost-saving and
productivity-enhancing opportunities within its Supply Chain . So why was he so miserable?
The answer, quite simply, was the lack of compatibility between his career goals and his family
life. While Don was working in Sonoma, California, his wife and children were back in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Don left for the airport before they got up on Monday, and got home
after they were in bed on Friday. That's why he was miserable. He knew numerous Partners in
the Firm that were able to balance the demands of their work with their family life, but Don was
finally realizing that he was not able to do the same. So, even though he knew that it was career
suicide, he told his Management Team that he wasn't going to travel for the Firm anymore.
Surprisingly, the Firm didn't let Don go immediately, but instead staffed him on some in-town
work. It was due to his past performance, they said... an effort to "make it work"... but they both
knew that eventually Don's choice would prove fatal to his career at the Firm. It took three
years, but the word finally came down: Don had 4 months of "transition" before his career with
the Firm would end. Even then, Don had advocates fighting to keep him. They got a one-month
extension, then another, and another, until finally Don made another choice. If he couldn't have
a career with the Firm, then he wanted a termination date. He got one. That date was May 4,
2007. The end of Don Counsell's career with the Firm... and the beginning of Exact Consulting.
two wonderful young sons, and a promising career with one of the world's preeminent
consulting firms. He had just been rated in the top 5% of all Managers within the Firm, and had
been promoted to Senior Manager. Now he was spending his days in one of the most beautiful
parts of America, helping a prominent winery to identify and evaluate cost-saving and
productivity-enhancing opportunities within its Supply Chain . So why was he so miserable?
The answer, quite simply, was the lack of compatibility between his career goals and his family
life. While Don was working in Sonoma, California, his wife and children were back in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Don left for the airport before they got up on Monday, and got home
after they were in bed on Friday. That's why he was miserable. He knew numerous Partners in
the Firm that were able to balance the demands of their work with their family life, but Don was
finally realizing that he was not able to do the same. So, even though he knew that it was career
suicide, he told his Management Team that he wasn't going to travel for the Firm anymore.
Surprisingly, the Firm didn't let Don go immediately, but instead staffed him on some in-town
work. It was due to his past performance, they said... an effort to "make it work"... but they both
knew that eventually Don's choice would prove fatal to his career at the Firm. It took three
years, but the word finally came down: Don had 4 months of "transition" before his career with
the Firm would end. Even then, Don had advocates fighting to keep him. They got a one-month
extension, then another, and another, until finally Don made another choice. If he couldn't have
a career with the Firm, then he wanted a termination date. He got one. That date was May 4,
2007. The end of Don Counsell's career with the Firm... and the beginning of Exact Consulting.
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The Birth of Exact Consulting
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