In consulting, it's typical to be staffed on teams on 2-5 people for ~3 month engagements. Teams will generally have a manager, whose focus is on the broader project timeline and deliverables. The manager will be less focused on the day-to-day so the ability to manage up and express roadblocks, challenges, etc is important. Furthermore, as one becomes more senior and serves as a project manager, the ability to manage a team will a focus on final product delivery is fundamental to the role.