Manager was a little more enjoyable - I like the one-on-one nature of that and seeing the person develop.
Coming to a solution that works for the employees, the employer and the clients.
Being my own IT, accounting department, human resources dept., ... - some of this you can outsource but so much of it you need to do yourself as a one-person operation.
Our dad was a HUGE influence in this regard. Also, I took a Regression Analysis as a senior in undergrad and that was a nice introduction to how my math skills could be applied effectively.
WOW. Perhaps my favorite is actually one I did pro bono. I worked for the Girl Scouts in the Dayton, Ohio area and helped them in preliminary design for a more action-oriented troop.
Wherever possible I use graphics and real-world analogies to share what we're doing analytically. First off, in some situations it's important that the advanced work remain advanced and requires some really smart analytical folks on their end to be part of the process. Making the analytical work accessible and explainable to clients is frequently SUBSTANTIALLY better when put into visual forms. For that type of effort, I admire the work that Edward Tufte does.