159: What is Analytic Thinking Vs Mathematical Thinking

The first podcast discusses a common challenge new consultants face: how to show strong analytic skills on an engagement. Here I discuss one of my earlier engagements as a principal where I managed a very introverted lawyer. Despite her non-quantitative degree, reserved demeanor and being placed on a piece of work which was not, at first, open to much creativity, she developed an eminently analytic way to solve a significant problem impacting the entire engagement. This is probably one of the most concise, tailored and innovative pieces of analyses I had ever seen in my career. What makes a consultant analytic, is not the type of work that lends itself to analytic reasoning, but the way you approach what may seem to be a mundane problem. In fact, no sector or engagement is boring if examined appropriately.