Being Consultant

It’s been 10 days since we launched the Pre-MBA Career Strategy Handbook. To be honest, the response hasn't surprised me. An MBA is a huge investment. For many, it can mean close to a quarter of a million dollars once you factor in tuition, living costs and lost income. (You will soon read about the term "opportunity cost") You wouldn't invest in that without a strategy. So why start your MBA without one? When I joined HEC Paris almost two decades ago, an international MBA was a huge stretch for me. A new country, a new life and no safety net. I thought I had time to settle in. I didn't. The first few weeks flew by, and suddenly McKinsey & Company and the other consulting firms were already at the door. That taught me something I now tell every incoming MBA, Your MBA strategy should start before you get to campus. Think early about: → Where you want to go → What gaps you need to close → What you need to do before recruiting starts Because this game doesn't start on Day 1. It starts on Day 0. That is why we created the Pre-MBA Career Strategy Handbook, to help you start thinking before the MBA whirlwind begins. And judging by the reviews in the image, it seems to be helping. A quarter of a million dollars is a big investment. It deserves a strategy If you are on the way to a B-school or just started one, check out the link in the first comment. #MBA #PreMBA #MBAJourney #CareerStrategy #BSchool #MBALife

February 2008. My first week at McKinsey & Company. 3 things went off the script! I landed in Frankfurt with a mental picture of how this was supposed to go. Training first, methodology, the basics, then the real work. Reality had other plans, and it corrected me three times in seven days. 1. McKinsey Frankfurt Office: I was hoping to be trained in consulting methodology - instead, I got staffed - basic consulting training got postponed - first taste of 'client first' - Funny, but it kept getting postponed, and then when it happened after 2 projects, it was almost unnecessary :) Then came the small stuff nobody warns you about, the kind that feels big when you're 20-something and trying not to look new. 2. First project travel - got 'constructive feedback' on my luggage size - I thought I had to carry multiple suits, every type of shirt. And just when I thought I'd figured out the rhythm of the job. 3. Had read about the famous "office Friday" - that is, Monday to Thursday at client site and then you travel back - first week got crazier by the day and I had to stay back and grind over the weekend. Of course, Sunday second half did bring some respite - hands-on training on increasing my beer-drinking capacity - advantage of being in Munich, with other consultants equally frustrated :) None of this was in any onboarding deck. Turns out the real learning curve isn't the framework - it's everything around it. And that was just week 1. 20+ projects across Asia, Europe and Africa later, the lessons never really stopped - not the case-interview kind, but the ones that quietly change how you think, how you deal with people, and who you become. That's what I've been writing about for years now - first as "Diary of a Consultant," and now, as a book. The “Inner Journey of a Consultant” isn't about getting into consulting. It's about what consulting does to you after - whether you're 6 months in or 10 years deep. If any part of my week 1 sounded familiar (or you're bracing for your own version) - this book is for you. Early access opens soon. The first 10 people to register get a signed copy. Comment "IN" or DM me and I'll send you the link. #ConsultingLife #McKinsey #HerosJourney #TheInnerJourneyOfAConsultant

Three continents. Four very different jobs. One cheat sheet. This week, four messages landed in my inbox. Different time zones, different career stages, completely different problems to solve - 1) MBA student in Europe, two weeks out from her case interviews. 2) A management consultant in Europe, already billing clients. 3) AI project manager in Asia, sitting across the table from enterprise buyers. 4) An enterprise business head in the US, running his own P&L. Four people whom I have never met. Four people I never asked to write in. All four picked up the Industry Cheat Sheet and sent these on their own. Now here is what I want you to take from this - If you are an MBA student reading this, stop treating industry knowledge like a topic to cram the night before. Treat it like a muscle you build over weeks. The student who messaged me went straight to cost drivers and revenue streams. That is not interview prep. That is how a consultant thinks. If you are already in consulting, do not assume you know the industries you have not personally worked in. The consultant who wrote in pushed back on my Porter's Five Forces section. He was using it on a live engagement. That is the right way to use this material. Argue with it. Make it sharper. If you are a working professional sitting in client meetings, this is the gap nobody talks about. The project manager in Asia and the business head in the US both said the same thing in different words. Industry context is what makes you sound credible in rooms where you are not the domain expert. Here is the truth I have learned from coaching over 1000+ MBB candidates and a decade in consulting. Frameworks get you to the door. Industry context gets you the offer and it does not stop being useful the day you accept the job. I have put up all of those 20 industries. 2 pages each. Value chain, revenue streams, cost structure, Porter's, key players, trends. Worth saying upfront - this is a paid product, the kind of clarity inside took years to earn. I would rather not dilute that by giving it for free 🙂 Comment "CheatSheet" and I'll send the link to you. PLEASE ensure that we are connected; if not do send over an invite. #IndustryCheatSheet #Consulting #Interviews #CaseSolving

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