by Consultant's Mind | Fun
We listen to music before class starts. This is what the incoming strategy class curated.
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
During the winter recess (remember those days as a student?), I read through several weeks of the Economist. Some of the topics that caught my attention, direct quotes in blue italics font. Linked to the original articles. No one will forget 2020 It was a milestone...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Before class, I like to play music and get in the mood to learn. This is the playlist – crowdsourced from students – this semester. Gen-X readers, add some new music into your playlist...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Last week, I went to my first Orange Theory Fitness (OTF) class with my two sisters. Not a big fitness person, and yes, I was pretty sore from all the exercise. If you have not been – it’s quite an experience. Immersive. Loud. Fun. While I was running,...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Crowdsourced playlist. Yes, I added in some Doors, Led Zeppelin, Prince, and Lou Reed....
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
It’s Halloween in the United States on October 31. Kids (and their parents) dress up in costumes head-to-toe and go from house-to-house in search of candy and chocolate. It’s great fun, and nothing is cuter than kids in their outfits. Costumes are hot and...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
This is something all consultants should watch, reflect, and incorporate into their client work. How can you make “good for you” fun? People want to be engaged and experience life. How can we tap into that curiosity and shape “good for you”...
by Consultant's Mind | Learning
Working on my taxes this weekend, which is no fun. I’d rather be blogging. Recently read T.R. Reid’s book on taxes, aptly titled: A Fine Mess (affiliate link). If you’ve read any of his previous books, you know he is a pretty expansive thinker,...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Super entertaining. Watched this 17min video about the Golden State Warriors made by a NBA enthusiast / student / Youtuber. Dom 2K. Great job – this is really ESPN quality. What was so good about the video? What does this have to do with how consultants think?...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Looking for some new music? Tired of the same Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin, and Cat Stevens? Curious what smart young professionals are listening to? I was, so I asked my business school students. Please find 4 Spotify stations curated from my business students....
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
The Defiant Ones For those who (like me) signed up for HBO Now for just 2 months to watch Game of Thrones season 7 (affiliate link), please spend the 4 hours to watch The Defiant Ones (affiliate link). Amazing documentary on Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. A short list of...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Projects have ups / downs As someone commented on the last post (hat tip: DS), there are definitely low points on any project. The life of a project is not a straight line. If it involves people and expectations, there will be drama. that’s okay. . . As Seth...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Took a 7 day cruise through the Eastern Caribbean. Highly recommend. So healthy to experience the wide-open ocean for several days. Great perspective – how big the world is, and how thankful we should all be. Enjoy your holidays. Related posts: Consultant’s long...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
After writing 3 non-stop blog posts on presentations, here is an funny one. Want to see Consulting + Comedy? Apparently, some folks at Bain & Company put together a presentation and recommendation on how to get the most out of Thanksgiving here. You can find the...
by Consultant's Mind | Learning
Trust, but verify. This is a Russian proverb that US President Ronald Reagan learned and used frequently when speaking about the Soviet Union and nuclear arms reduction verification in the 1980s. I use it quite a bit too – and when delivered with good comedic...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Arizona photos Traveled to Arizona recently – God’s country. Beautiful. Great food, nice people, fun hotel, and lots to see. Enjoy the travel. Like they say, “It is a dry...
by Consultant's Mind | Learning
Too many billionaires? That can be bad Ruchir Sharma is an investment strategist for Morgan Stanley who focuses on emerging markets. He uses a 10 point system to evaluate the investment-worthiness of countries, and the billionaire index is one of them. He makes a...
by Consultant's Mind | Learning
Billionaires are more common than ever Ruchir Sharma – Morgan Stanley global strategist – notes in Rise and Fall of Nations (affiliate link) that the number of billionaires increased from 1,011 to 1,826 between 2009-2014. That is a 80% increase in...
by Consultant's Mind | Learning
April 15 is tax day This is the day for individuals to file taxes. There are other tax days (e.g., March 15 for corporations), but yesterday was the day most people know – and loathe. People take off work, look for receipts, download bank statements, and answer...
by Consultant's Mind | Learning
This blog post is from 2016. You can tell, because I don’t listen to Pandora anymore. I listen to Spotify. How times can change. Capitalism is real. Competition is real. I listen to Pandora every day. On my computer, on my Roku, on my Amazon Echo, in my car,...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Fiverr.com I discovered this website just a few months ago. The concept is simple, if not remarkable. It is a market where people offer services starting at $5. It varies from proof-reading your resume, writing a jingle, sketching something on paper, or even...
by Consultant's Mind | Learning
Ran across this article on the four chemicals that are responsible for our happiness. Sad to think that our happiness is just a bunch of chemicals – but science does a great job of de-constructing our world, for the good of our health, but the death of mystery....
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Act like Europeans Team dinners are by-far one of the best parts of consulting. It is a combination of smart people, good food, wine, and story-telling. As I told a friend, if there were no team dinners. . not sure if it would really be worth it. It is the rare...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Today was a holiday in the United States. Went to the beach. This is all that was on my mind . . . basically, nothing. ...
by Consultant's Mind | Learning
Consultants solve ambiguous problems So do lawyers I recently watched an interview with Kenneth Feinberg, a famous lawyer, and was struck by his confidence, poise, professionalism, humor, and mindfulness. All traits that consultants should try and emulate. Even...
by Consultant's Mind | Graphics
Are you a management consultant? Related Posts: Great consultants vs. good consultants Consulting is a team sport Consulting jargon: Airport Test “On the beach” means you are consulting...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
We all complain Anyone used to living the good life – yes, including consultants – can find things to be unhappy about, even in the best of circumstances. It’s human nature. It’s first world problems. We should be grateful It’s my...
by Consultant's Mind | Graphics
Graphics tell a lot story in a little space It’s descriptive without being prescriptive. For some fun examples look at http://thisisindexed.com/. It’s a blog that Jessica Hagy has diligently been posting since 2006. She hand-draws simple graphics that...
by Consultant's Mind | Learning
Gift cards are everywhere ABC News recently said that gift cards are the #1 requested holiday gift items for 6 years in a row. This year, I gave out 2 gift cards; they are sold in grocery stores, easy to buy, more thoughtful than cash, and definitely useful. No one...
by Consultant's Mind | Learning
US government foreign aid was one of the topics of the recent US Presidential debate. Through all the politics and chatter, it always helps to go back to the facts. The US government publishes something called the Greenbook (245 page pdf) which shows where all the US...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
I ran the Philadelphia Rock and Roll half marathon last month. Felt great to finish, but it was pretty painful at mile 11 and 12. There were a lot of people there, and it made me wonder how popular are half marathons? So here is what I found out at www.runningusa.org:...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Raising capital online, grassroots style This blog post is ostensibly about how crowd-funding websites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter are democratizing innovation by creating ways of individuals to support new products, ideas, bands and charities. Raising capital...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Consultants need to keep up with technology to stay relevant. Once you start to fear technology, you are getting old. So, this is how I finally started using Reddit. Reddit is a funny place. For those who don’t know, it is simply a set of forums where you can...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Had a rough Monday. It is 10pm and I still have 2-3 hours of work to do. That said, I ran across these three stories and it really picked up my day. 100 guitar riffs. sheesh. 3 Million Mile Volvo: Read the NPR story about Irv Gordon who has driven his beloved car for...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Recently came across a list called 101 Most Useful Websites curated by Amit Argarwal, a columnist with the Wall Street Journal India. Useful, free and refreshing websites. 1) FaxZero.com: This a free PC-to-Fax machine service No registration and it takes only 60...
