by Consultant's Mind | Fun
For anyone who knows me, I am an avid podcast listener. It is something I will promote to literally everyone I know. The benefits are enormous: Free entertainment Easier than reading Great learning of a variety of topics Exercises your imagination and listening...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Today was a travel day – like most Mondays. There were two odd things about today. Good thing – no one next to me on the plane There was no one sitting next to me on the plane today. I completely spread out, and put my stuff in the seat next to me. It...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
I really enjoy my consulting work . . .and yet, my friends and I spend time in our rental car rides, and dinners talking about business ideas. Some of my recent ideas: Customized ironing boards. Women’s clothing is notoriously difficult to iron, and expensive...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Traveling is exhausting How strange is it to commute by plane. We are whistled in by clients, ready road-warriors, bringing news from far away. Our time is “valuable”, marked by our bill rates and our inaccessible during travel times and Fridays. Travel...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Thanks for reading this blog (written in 2015) I have enjoyed your company and comments. Hope you find this stuff – not so boring – and potentially helpful. Some survey results which hint at www.consultantsmind.com readers. As my wife flattered me and also...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
“It’s 1am and I am working on a proposal due this Friday from the hotel lobby. It has to go through multiple reviews, so I would be wise to get it 80% finished tonight. Oy Vey. Walking around the hotel – to wake myself up – this is what I see....
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
For most road-warriors, aisle seats are the way to go. Better in almost every way. They have more leg-room, more freedom of movement, and easier exits. Today I did discover 1 benefit –...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
I have flown Delta for 15 years, but just recently discovered Delta Studio. For those who don’t know, you can watch free movies and TV shows using GoGo Inflight Wi-fi. Phone: Download GoGo app. Connect to wifi, open app. Click of Delta Studio. Laptop: Connect...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Monday night in the hotel. Lots of work, but not in the mood. Instead, thinking about the cherry blossoms I saw with my wife this weekend. A much better thought. Related posts: Consulting travel The consulting life. Good dinners...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Yes, I am currently staffed on the East Coast in February. #$^@#$ it’s #$%#$^ cold. A few words of wisdom for the newbie consultants traveling to into the cold: Staying warm (affiliate links) Buy some 180s. They are ear warmers that don’t mess up...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
23 consultants were in a restaurant. . . The leadership team of our consulting practice were enjoying wine and canapes. (Yes, consultants eat well). My buddy and I were talking and when we looked out the window into the January Chicago night, someone was staring...
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 | 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
I have been on vacation for 2 weeks. Family visiting from overseas. During that time I wrote a handful of emails, and took a few conference calls, but largely, I was on a break. See some photos from the cruise. Ah, a sampling of retired life. Consulting gives you...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Was recruiting on Friday. This was on the wall of the business school’s career management center. All good advice I believe. Related Posts: Case interviews: Time to start practicing Why culture trumps strategy...
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 | Fun
We all need motivation Here is mine for today. Kacy Catanzaro completes the American Ninja Warrior course. Just watch it here. 18 million views and counting; the 7 minutes of crushing athleticism will power you through this work week. Uh, no more words needed. Just...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Have some gratitude There is a lot of research that shows that when you are grateful, you are happier. I firmly believe this, and it applies to everyone, not just consultants. Small things Current project has a nice conference room. Nice and sunny, private,...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Get-away day My friends and I joke that Thursdays are get-away days. You have been at the client for 4 days, slept in a hotel room for 3 nights. Too much restaurant food, and it’s time to go home and get your life in order on Friday. On Thursday many management...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Wordpress reminded me today that it was my blogiversary. Two full years blogging. When I told my wife, she said we should celebrate. Thanks to Associatesmind for encouraging me to start this because it has been one of the most fun and meaningful things I have done...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
I was reading an article in the Economist about immigrant diasporas. Overseas Chinese, Indians, and Jews are a few examples of tight-knit, highly-educated, geographically-dispersed groups, who are extremely successful and make things happen. The article argues that...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Don’t use jargon It is usually nonsensical and a boring way to talk. It is precisely why the British – who generally have excellent word choice – find Americans to be lazy speakers. Think before you speak. You will have better word choice. Less...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
I shop at Whole Foods Not all the time, but enough to be embarrassed by it. Have to stop making fun of bourgeois-y people since I have become one of them. Look what I saw in the check-out aisle at Whole Foods. Not People magazine. Not Oprah magazine. Nope. Impulse...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Management consulting = travel No way around it. If you don’t like business travel, you will hate consulting. Here are some things I have experienced. Know your airline frequent flyer number, but not your mom’s phone number Take too much pride in the type...
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 | 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 | Fun
Jeff Bezos is clearly not your typical guy Valedictorian of his high school class, summa cum laude in electrical engineering from Princeton, ex-hedge fund manager. Starts online bookstore, but then grows it into the largest online retailer. Takes Amazon.com public in...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Seems simple enough Consultants are in the business of making other people successful. Yes, consultants make a good salary, and yes, they do have some power on projects. Fundamentally though, it is not about them. It is about the clients. Good consulting habits. This...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
It was a rough week. Started last Saturday with multiple conference calls, and one week later, at 1am the following Sunday (8 days later), still going strong. Sometimes, not glamorous I slept 4 hours a night for the last 8 days. I told my consulting partner that it...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Proud to be an American The US is a truly blessed country, and it is no surprise that the waiting list for green card averages six years (depends on the country of origin). Supply and demand. People want to live here. People want to be American. “If you are born...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Consultants are cartographers Maps contain a lot of information in a small amount of space. It shows trends, and is usually a very memorable, visual way to see information. Here are 3 maps of the USA that I saw mashed up. . Companies by state This is by Steve...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
It’s a late night I am working at 2am, which is actually not that unusual with management consulting. Here are some of the many reasons why a consultant might be working this late: Some good reasons: Time zone change. You fly into NYC from the West Coast....
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Traveling is an ugly part of consulting No pretty way to say this, but traveling can be a bummer. Many consulting firms travel 50-80% of the time Mon-Thu to client sites. Awesome when you are young and mobile. Eager to see the world. A bit crappy if you are married...
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...
by Consultant's Mind | Consulting, Fun
Yes, I was delayed 7 hours before. . . In 2013, I had a flight schedule to leave at 4:45 that left at 12:30am. There were 58 people on the standby list. During this horrific wait at O’Hare, I had the good fortune of traveling with a work colleague. We talked,...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Started writing this blog a year ago At the time I had no idea where it would lead, but after 40,000+ words I still enjoy the work. As consultants, we are paid by to think rigorously and creatively through problems – and yet, it’s a shame there is not a...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Thought a lot about leadership recently and ran across these leadership quotations. . . What is leadership? “Leadership is influence” – John Maxwell “Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Superbowl Sunday. For many in the US, there are only 2 parts of the day. Getting ready for the Superbowl, then watching it. Interestingly, most people don’t care who wins, and a large number of people are just watching for the ads. (66% female and 47% males say...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
anagement consulting video Just watched my first video advertisement for consulting. It was entitled The Science of Management Consulting; it was cool, visually appealing, and a bit inspiring actually. Done by Accenture and on their website. Says some good things All...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Just watched the Alabama-Georgia game. For international readers, this was the equivalent of the semi-finals for college football between two rival teams who both had a winning season so far (11 wins – 1 loss). It was a very close game which Alabama won...
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
too much jargon Yes, let’s all admit it. We probably use jargon more than we should. It’s so ubiquitous that it’s like a second language that you might metaphorically list at the bottom of your resume. Hey, wow, look at me. Yes, it can be useful...
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...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Happy Birthday! The United States is celebrating its 236th birthday today. I saw an article from Mental Floss Magazine by Matt Soniak called How All 50 States Got Their Names. It was well-timed for July 4th, but a bit long at 5,000 words. After reading through the...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Consulting travel is brutal, but one of the benefits is loyalty points. We can thank our clients for the silver, gold, diamond, and platinum status we have with airlines and hotels. Good ole’ Marriott loyalty points. Some places my wife and I visited using...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
Take a look at this cartoon about miscommunications. There are 12 unique pictures and each one shows a different interpretation of the same situation. The customer, analyst, consultant all see and hear things differently. Listening If you are married, you don’t...
by Consultant's Mind | Fun
I am an iPad addict. Crazy convenient, and new apps everyday. Always inspired by the ingenuity of app developers. Useful, fun, powerful. Here is how I find awesome apps AppAdvice.com Excellent reviews of app by category. It is well-curated and gives you a real...
