I have subscribed to the Economist for 20+ years. Solid reporting. Libertarian angle, but with a strong heart. Another benefit are the excellent graphs.
Consultants love graphs
Executives are visual people, and graphs can make an enormous impact without using too many words. The following graphs are all from the Economist blog called graphic detail. Click on the links to get to the stories, but these graphics are so good that you will get the point immediately.
Safe Skies: Despite a recent tragedy, air flights are getting safer
Article here.
Less is Moore: A golden rule of microchips appears to be coming to an end
Article here.
Obama and Aliens: The greatest mass deportation in American history here
Black Gold: A century of jittery oil production and prices
Surgery Required: Health care in America is ludicrously expensive
Article here.
Shares in Emerging Markets: Scarce
Article here.
Empire building: The expansion of lego
Article here.
Key Takeaways
Some things I found most compelling about these graphs:
- Authoritative use of large data sets (30 years, 100+ years)
- Strong visual to see two trends heading in opposite directions
- Shows inflection points in the trends
- Clear attribution of the reference source (e.g., Department of Homeland Security)
- Obvious point; (e.g., US healthcare is 300%+ the cost of other countries)
- Use of maps and graphics when appropriate (e.g., Lego)
Train your eye
Look through business magazines, research papers, and presentations to look for good graphs, tables, and charts. All consultants need to know what good looks like. One of the tips from McKinsey Way is to draw 1 graph a day. That is truly good advice, as this helps you to tell visual stories. I just made my 1 slide tonight in the hotel room – will use with the client CxO tomorrow.