They don't protect their employees from 'once in a while quirky client'. If the client doesn't like you for any rhyme or reason, and that could very well be for reasons outside of your performance, they don't wholeheartedly support you. Your career is over if the client said something irrespective of whether the clients in the past raved (and I mean raved) about you. Also, they focus a lot on communications and marketing skills in their employees. They promote employees based on these skills and not necessarily based on their hard core skills and expertise, and the value added to the client. Additionally, you could be miserable on a project but no one hears you. If you are hired for a certain skill, that is the only skill they will have you work on the rest of your career with them. No requests for change go heard, even if you have the potential to do an outstanding job. They pair you up with a coach and the coach may not even communicate the concerns or repeated requests for a different project to the partners. And guess what....you are the one who is penalized!
Some of the directors have no interpersonal skills or at least don't use them with their peers but are able to bring business, so keep getting promoted. If you are new and want to meet them/him over coffee, forget it....they will first reschedule, then finally, cancel!