by Consultant's Mind | Learning
For all of its faults, the United States has been the destination of choice for emigrants since – well – for half a century. Personally, I have friends and family who got their green cards just within the last few years. The US continues to be a magnet for...
by Consultant's Mind | Team
Hands down, the best part of any day for a manager is working with a junior consultant who “gets it”. In the busy crush of client work, deliverables, over-commitment, and fuss – when you are working with a team that instinctively knows what needs to...
by Consultant's Mind | Team
Why is consulting tribal? It’s easier to work with people you have history with. You can jumpstart and go directly to performing. Forming, storming, norming, performing This is a classic framework that Professor Bruce Tuckman developed in the 1960s that...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Swen Nater While reading Coach Wooden and Me (affiliate link), by Kareem Abdul Jabbar, I ran across the story of Swen Nater, who was a first round NBA/ABA draft pick even though he never started, and only play 2 minutes on average per game while at UCLA. Deliberate...
by Consultant's Mind | Team
It’s all about trust I am in the people business. I teach, train, write, read, talk, record, coach, listen, and persuade . . . people. Recent interactions, good and bad For the last 6 months, when I look back on my emails and text messages with the 100+ people...
by Consultant's Mind | Consulting
Consultants have bad days Yes, a chorus of “amen” just came from the weathered consultants reading this blog. If you want an example of this, take a look at this blog post (in blue color) from 2015. Today was a rough day. Client disengaged. Technology not...
by Consultant's Mind | Consulting
Meetings are over-rated Okay, I said it. I have seen too many organizations put together committees to drive “alignment”, when in actuality, they are trying to mollify a miscreant or hedge away the risk by legislating an answer. Too often, it fails to...
by Consultant's Mind | Consulting
This is my favorite expression. Do you have what you need? I usually ask it of at least 3-4 people a day. It’s simple, but clear. I don’t know the entirety of your situation, but I am here to help. It can be small (proof reading) or big (career advice);...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Two kinds of people Had a strange week. Lots of ups and downs. Rough client interviews, laborious data cleaning, too much travel, and so-so sushi. With the ebb / flow of consulting life, I was struck by the fact that there are 2 kinds of people . . . . . People you...
by Consultant's Mind | Team
Teams are not always great I recently wrote about how consulting is a team sport, but I also wanted to share some caveats. It’s not always rainbows and cute ponies. #1: Working with new people In consulting, you work with smart and diverse people, but they are...
by Consultant's Mind | Team
Consulting is a team sport One of the best things about consulting – and project work more generally – is that it’s a team sport. There is a goal. People have different roles. You don’t have to be good at everything, but you do need the right...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
What’s a fun way to loosen up a stiff executive audience? It might be the Marshmallow Tower Challenge. I’ve conducted this a half dozen times with executives, students, and consultants. Detailed instructions here. How does it work? Teams of four are given...
