Category: Consulting skills

Strategic Thinking

Strategic thinking is one of the core attributes that defines a successful consultant. Operating in the business world involves an incredible amount of data, uncertainty, and competition. Strategic thinking is what helps consultants navigate those stormy seas. In this article we’ll walk you through what strategic thinking really is. We’ll also discuss ways you can…

Decision Fatigue

Decision fatigue is to management what carbon monoxide is to the human nervous system—a silent killer that can undermine an entire structure without anyone noticing until it’s too late. Decision fatigue can impact managers, senior employees, and other leaders tasked with making regular decisions that affect the operational success of a team. Decision fatigue can…

What To Do “On The Beach” As A Consultant

What is “The Beach”? In the fast-paced world of consulting, there’s a strange phrase you might start hearing: "on the beach." Sometimes also called “on the bench”. No, it's not a reference to soaking up the sun by the ocean – it's a term for a temporary break in client projects. Consultants switch from client…

Blue Ocean Strategy

Blue Ocean Strategy is a strategic business concept that has gained a lot of currency in recent years. If you’re a business professional or student, odds are that you’ve heard people talk about Blue Ocean Strategy. However, there’s a good chance you haven’t actually seen anyone break down what Blue Ocean Strategy is and how…

How Consultants Project Expertise And Learn At The Same Time

Navigating the professional world of management and strategy consulting requires adept knowledge-building and data analysis blended with interpersonal prowess. Consultants are expected to build stories and recommendations from convoluted sets of data, steer business transformations with ambiguous industries, and confront challenges they may be wholly unprepared for. Because of this, the role of a consultant…

McKinsey Process Mapping: Consulting Skill

Management consulting has a lot of tools and techniques. One instrument that has gained a lot of traction is the McKinsey process mapping. This is a method that is helpful for both professionals at McKinsey, but also candidates keen on enhancing their skill set. Process mapping plays a pivotal role in streamlining operations and ensuring…

The Godfather of Case Interviews, Marc Cosentino (Podcast)

We catch up with Marc Cosentino - a legend in the field of case interviews. Marc wrote the ever-popular guide on case interviews, Case in Point, and has trained more than 150k people in his nearly 30 years of experience. Marc reveals his "aha!" moment for writing Case in Point, how case interviews have evolved,…

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome to Land a Bain Internship with Nicole (Podcast)

Nicole overcame imposter syndrome and a mountain of self-doubt to land a Bain internship and parlay that into a full-time offer.  Today, she spills all the beans on that journey. Listen for transformative mindset shifts, advice, and lessons learned for the daunting consulting recruiting process. Missed the previous episode about Nicole's summer at Bain? Go back…

Cultural Humility and Why It Matters

Cultural competence is something that’s been talked about since the 1960s and for good reason. As our communities, our neighborhoods, and our workplaces become more global, being able to work alongside and form meaningful relationships with people from different cultural backgrounds is incredibly important. However there’s been a recent push to move away from cultural…

Next Steps Slide

If you’re serious about driving action and alignment coming out of a meeting, you need to understand how to build a powerful next steps PowerPoint slide. A good “next steps” slide is simple, yet effective. So, what belongs and what doesn’t in a next steps slide? Let’s break it down. What Is The Next Steps…