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Economist: To the brainy (a.k.a. consultants), the spoils

by Consultant's Mind | Consulting

Management consulting Continues to do well.  The Economist posted this chart last week which shows that McKinsey, Bain, and BCG all grew by double digits in 2011. The revenue trend is clearly up. Bain grew by 17% YoY. The consulting outlook is good. Companies are...

Consulting super skills: rapport-building, influence

by Consultant's Mind | Consulting

We are in the influence business  Just like anyone who sells services to clients – markers, bankers, consultants, dentists, plumbers – we influence clients to do things we think is in their best interest. It’s harder than it sounds because:  We are...

Management principles of the US Marines Corps

by Consultant's Mind | Learning

I read this book in June 2002 by David H. Freedman. It was the year before I went to MBA, and it made an impression on me. I remember telling the HR director about it, and then seeing quotes from the book in one his presentations. Whether you are a hawk or a dove...

Consultants love buckets to structure problems

by Consultant's Mind | Consulting

Consultants use buckets I know it sounds pedestrian and unsophisticated, but it’s harder than it looks. When you are trying to crack a complex problem, inevitably you will start to group things. Buckets, I tell you. Consultants use buckets. When you have a...

IT DEPENDS is the right answers to complex problems

by Consultant's Mind | Consulting

“It Depends” This is a phrase you hear a lot in both business school and management consulting. As weird as seems, it is often the best short-answer to give a client. A boring half-answer? To some this may come across as timid or mentally lazy. As if...

Consulting PowerPoints get better with practice, habit

by Consultant's Mind | Fun

“Excellence is a habit” Apparently that is something Aristotle said. If we are what we repeatedly do, then you are not “excellent” once, by chance, but by training, diligence, muscle memory, and habit. Anders Ericsson talked about...

6 reasons why consultants are revision crazy

by Consultant's Mind | Consulting

Consultants (Keep) revising their work Yes, the end product tends to be high-quality because a lot of smart people have spent A LOT of time on it. Looking at recent files saved on my laptop, I see some with pretty absurd file titles like: ABC_phase 1_02082013 10pm...

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