505: How do leaders integrate? (with Richard Hawkes)

Edward is one of the most effective networking clients in our program. Although a relatively-older candidate from a non-target school, he was able to meticulously follow our advice on networking to eventually build a very effective support network of partners and consultants at his preferred offices. This wide-ranging interview is important because it demonstrates the primacy of our networking approach. Firmsconsulting believes that if you take the time to do the appropriate due-diligence and build sincere reasons for joining an office, this sincerity will come through in any discussions. It is interesting to see how Edward developed this approach over a 5 month period through trial and error to eventually secure strong endorsements from very senior partners. On a personal note, I do believe Edward is one of the most impressive alums of our program. He is steeped in our tradition of values and ethics before all else and to us, that is what matters the most.

2 Jan 201457min

Sanda is a brilliant commerce graduate from South-East Asia. She is the first person in her entire family to attend university. She taught herself English at university by watching "Friends" and "The Good Wife" among other shows, especially in-depth business media, and is the very first person from her university to ever join MBB. In this extensive interview, Sanda describes her tough background and experiences as well as her smart strategy for joining the elite consulting firms.

27 Des 201340min

One of the great myths among aspiring consultants, is that strategy consultants go in and basically take over and run the entire strategy and direction of a company. That does happen at times, but is more the exception than the norm. In fact, there are dangers to this outsourcing of thinking. Yet, the danger is not the outsourcing itself, but rather who is doing the outsourcing: a strong and accountable CEO or a weak CEO. The greatest risk to a company is a weak CEO who outsources accountability to consultants. In this podcast, I discuss my own personal experiencing of advising such a CEO and the chaos which ensued.

21 Des 201322min

At least 90% of aspiring management consultants assume that all McKinsey et al cases MUST be solved with frameworks. That is a dangerous myth. At least 60% of all McKinsey full cases (we are not referring to brainstorming, estimates etc) cannot be solved with structures and you will fail if you used structures to solve them. In this podcast, we use the experiences of a client, Felix, to explain how to identify this second group of cases and what you can do to solve them. We particularly look at Felix's coaching session with Kevin Coyne, ex-McKinsey Worldwide Strategy Co-Leader, in Season One of The Consulting Offer.

15 Des 201312min

This podcast describes the journeys of two people and where they ended up in life. The first is one of Harvard's most distinguished MBA graduates ever who was not even invited to a McKinsey internship interview. The second is a McKinsey Principal from humble beginnings who is rejected the partnership, not once, but twice. Who they are and what they eventually achieve professionally is a lesson in perseverance, confidence and being analytic.

9 Des 201316min

In early 2013, we were invited by the chairman of a major IT/Outsourcing provider to analyze their business and determine why their significant acquisitions of strategy/operations/general consulting skills had not created a "McKinsey-Killer".

3 Des 201346min

After 11 years of corporate strategy consulting with the firm, 3 of them as principal, I have tended to take for granted that everyone knows the difference between corporate strategy and other types of strategy engagements like developing a market entry strategy or a pricing strategy. Yet, that is not true.

27 Nov 201330min

An hour ago I ran a screening call for case coaching with a candidate I will call Hector from Deloitte, let's assume the Santiago office. The student was at a very élite school, I will call Wharton. This tiny Deloitte office had for the first time offered to pay for an employee's MBA studies – a huge investment for them. McKinsey was now aggressively trying to recruit the candidate and he was on the brink of pursuing this. I was extremely proud of the way Hector reacted when, upon learning of the source of his funding and obligations, I immediately refused to conduct the screening call because it was not in his best interest. In these moments, we get to see tomorrow's leaders forged.

21 Nov 201319min