Case Interview Preparation & Management Consulting | Strategy | Critical Thinking

Michael and Tom talk about a major and troubling change in the language McKinsey has started using in their performance evaluations. We discuss what it indicates for McKinsey's future. SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

Michael and Tom talk about a new concerning change in up or out procedures in one of McKinsey's North American offices, which was unfolding over the last 6 months. We discuss what impact will this have if action is not taken to stop this practice. SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

The story Michael and Tom will talk about today, a major consulting firm suing McKinsey, is a real life example of how firms compete behind the scenes. SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

Michael and Tom discuss how to manage extreme fatigue and stress. SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

    Michael and Tom discuss the new policy change introduced by McKinsey related to selection of McKinsey office leaders. We discuss why it could have been introduced and how it may impact McKinsey. SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

In this podcast Michael and Tom, Darden EMBA, talk about Sizan and her one of a kind story. Sizan is a participant in TCO IV. SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

In this podcast we continue to experiment with a new format. Meet Tom, Darden EMBA, who is going to co-host the next few Case Interview podcasts with us. In this podcast we discuss the subtle but very important reason Zach’s presence in TCO III ended. Zach is the 2nd participant in The Consulting Offer III.  SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

In this podcast we discuss how interviewers judge candidates during case interviews. Specifically we look at how they determine whom are the top candidates. SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

This podcast, and related article, explains how to put the client first the right way. SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

In this podcast we talk about one critical lesson from TCO III / IV: how being likeable effects one's performance during consulting case interviews. SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING KEEP IN TOUCH: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

In this podcast, and related article, we are going to talk about value-based fees. And I am going to explain to you why value-based fees seldom work. We will also explain why value-based fees are misunderstood. And they are misunderstood in a very fundamental way. Value-based fees can only work if certain supply and demand conditions in the market are met, or if your client is naïve. If a consulting firm understands this concept, they have a higher probability of securing higher-margin value-based fees. SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE STRATEGY TRAINING PODCASTS: If you enjoy our podcasts, we will appreciate if you visit our Case Interviews podcast or Strategy Skills podcast on iTunes and leave a quick review. It helps more people find us. COME HANG OUT WITH US: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn WANT TO LEARN FROM FORMER STRATEGY PARTNERS? REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

A very common strategy for a management consulting firm to displace an incumbent and serve a client is to show an problem / insight / opportunity that the client has not realized before. Unfortunately, this does not work that well in building client relationships and driving sales. In fact, a brilliant insight by itself may even lead to more work for the competition. In this podcast, and related article, we discuss this issue and address how to fix it. SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING COME HANG OUT WITH US: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn FOR MORE DETAILS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR CASE INTERVIEWS OR ON HOW TO CONDUCT STRATEGY, OPERATIONS OR IMPLEMENTATION CONSULTING STUDIES REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

In this podcast, and related article, we discuss how to manage failure. SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING COME HANG OUT WITH US: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn FOR MORE DETAILS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR CASE INTERVIEWS OR ON HOW TO CONDUCT STRATEGY, OPERATIONS OR IMPLEMENTATION CONSULTING STUDIES REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

In this podcast, and related article, I discuss how to resign, and especially how to resign if you are part of the inner circle of the firm and office. The business model of McKinsey, BCG and that of other firms expects this. When not expected at your firm, it is even more important you handle this correctly. If you are part of the inner circle most of the best practices you read about will not apply to you. Most of the company rules and guidelines will certainly not apply to you. I also discuss some ways in which members of my inner circle resigned. Never ever repeat their mistakes. SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING COME HANG OUT WITH US: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn FOR MORE DETAILS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR CASE INTERVIEWS OR ON HOW TO CONDUCT STRATEGY, OPERATIONS OR IMPLEMENTATION CONSULTING STUDIES REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

The importance of gaining a client's trust via a solid reputation in the market places a premium on leaders who are skillful in building client relationships. No one would expect a consulting firm with poor reputation to thrive. After all, any firm's future is only as bright as its reputation in the market. It takes a strategic eye to focus on building client relationships for the long-term, even if it means sacrificing some revenue, and individual compensation, in the short-term. In this podcast we talk about how we approach building client relationships. More specifically, we discuss how we handle negotiating fees with clients. We dive into: Should you consider competing on price? What competing on price does to your firm? If you compete on price what signal are you sending to the client? Competing on price may bring in some extra revenue in the short-term, but will be damaging to the health of your business in the medium and long-term. Hence, competing on price actually destroys value and should be avoid

The Emerging Leaders Program (also called Emerging Fellows Program) is a scholarship we award to promising students from disadvantaged backgrounds. We help them plan their studies, select schools and map out their entire path to elite consulting firms, and beyond. We carefully train and groom them. This is a significant scholarship and we have high expectations. In this podcast (and related article), using Sveta’s story, we discuss what we expect of scholarship recipients and why we have this expectation. We also discuss how we develop young people with tremendous potential. SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING COME HANG OUT WITH US: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn FOR MORE DETAILS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR CASE INTERVIEWS OR ON HOW TO CONDUCT STRATEGY, OPERATIONS OR IMPLEMENTATION CONSULTING STUDIES REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

In every single season of The Consulting Offer female PhDs have dominated the show through their skills, learning pace and performance. And they have all been foreign. Two are Chinese and one is Nigerian. In this podcast we discuss why this may be the case. Why does this one group do so well over MBAs and undergraduates despite the general consensus that PhDs are weaker in cases. SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING COME HANG OUT WITH US: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn FOR MORE DETAILS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR CASE INTERVIEWS OR ON HOW TO CONDUCT STRATEGY, OPERATIONS OR IMPLEMENTATION CONSULTING STUDIES REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

This is a frustrating topic for many reasons. You will see it cropping up in TCO III a lot, and hurting one participant significantly. Therefore, we want to address this topic via a podcast and hope it never comes up again. Too many clients want to use a resume format because it (1) looks good, (2) was recommended by the school, (3) they spent a lot of time on it, (4) it is a better use of space or (5) they cannot understand why it should change. In this podcast we explain why a bad (in your opinion) resume format needs to be evaluated using very different metrics. This is an important podcast. Listen to it. SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING COME HANG OUT WITH US: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn FOR MORE DETAILS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR CASE INTERVIEWS OR ON HOW TO CONDUCT STRATEGY, OPERATIONS OR IMPLEMENTATION CONSULTING STUDIES REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.

Most firms only talk about their successful clients. They talk about clients who end up joining McKinsey, BCG and Bain (MBB). We are different. We believe it is important to talk about those case interview coaching clients who did not make it. 29.9% of our clients wanted to join McKinsey, BCG and Bain but ended up in industry, other consulting firms or government. What happened?Who is accountable for this result?Is it an error?What could we have done better?Is a 100% placement rate for MBB even possible, while brining in development candidates? We discuss all of the above and more in this brutally honest podcast. Note: Our placement rate fluctuates all the time as we have case interview coaching clients going through case interview process with MBB on a continuous basis. So at various points of time, even within the same week, you may see a different placement rate being reported. However, the placement rate for MBB is hovering around 70%, which is the highest in the industry. SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES HERE 

In this podcast I relate an experience I had with a young partner we have in China, Amy. This may seem like a small incident but to me it explains the reason why older partners need to bring in younger partners with a different worldview, different skills and different definition of what is normal.  The true mark of an effective partnership is trust. And trust explicitly at the time when you have no idea what will happen but you believe in the judgment of a fellow partner. And the key to trust is finding people who share the same values and intellect. SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES HERE & RECEIVE FREE CASE INTERVIEW TRAINING COME HANG OUT WITH US: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn FOR MORE DETAILS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR CASE INTERVIEWS OR HOW TO CONDUCT STRATEGY, OPERATIONS OR IMPLEMENTATION CONSULTING STUDIES REFER TO THE FIRMSCONSULTING ORIGINAL TRAINING PROGRAMS.