This is part 2 in a six-part podcast miniseries on how to improve the client experience. Episode 128 introduces the series. In this episode I discuss 29 suggestions for how to improve the client experience during the proposal phase. In Episodes 130-133, I'll be covering the next four phases in a project lifecycle: The proposal phase Onboarding / kickoff phase Project execution Wrap-up Post-project I learned this five-part framework from David A. Fields, and encourage everyone to visit his websit...
Jan 10, 2019•15 min
This episode introduces a six-part miniseries on steps consultants can take to improve the client's experience across the five phases of a consulting project: The proposal phase Onboarding / kickoff phase Project execution Wrap-up Post-project I learned this five-part framework from David A. Fields, and encourage everyone to visit his website: https://www.davidafields.com/ If you subscribe to the weekly Unleashed email, you'll receive a summary checklist of all the suggestions from this client e...
Jan 08, 2019•4 min
Our guest today is Ciaran Bossom, a digital marketing expert and independent consultant. Ciaran was the SVP of Strategy at VaynerMedia and most recently the Chief Digital Offier at Brown University. He has worked at several other digital agencies and held roles on the client side as well. Connect with Ciaran at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciaranbossom/ To receive the weekly Unleashed email that includes transcripts of each episode, book recommendations, and consulting tips, visit: https://www.u...
Jan 07, 2019•51 min
Not every job has a fixed location, but job-posting websites seem to think they do. There should be an option to list "Remote" as the location.
Jan 06, 2019•3 min
Best-practice email introductions.
Jan 05, 2019•3 min
Right before Christmas, I went with my family to an open rehearsal of the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. It was a lot more fun than going to the formal, black tie performance later that evening. It made me think - how can I make my interactions with clients more like that rehearsal - loose, creative, fun, authentic, human - instead of like the formal performance. If you haven't already, consider signing up for the weekly Unleashed email - you'll receive a transcript of each episode, book recomm...
Jan 04, 2019•5 min
I discuss four quadrants on a classic 2x2 matrix Vertical axis: willingness to take the initiative Chutzah = high willness Compliance = low willingness Horizontal axis: openness to new information Humility = high openness Arrogance = low openness
Jan 03, 2019•6 min
Adopting a five decade time horizon allows you to make rewarding investments in skills, relationships, knowledge, and your health that a shorter time frame would suggest won't pay off.
Jan 02, 2019•4 min
You probably wouldn't hire a graphic designer or a wedding photographer without looking at their portfolio. Independent consultants ought to have a portfolio as well - samples of sanitized work you can share with potential clients. I've found that many independent consultants do NOT have a portfolio, however, and here are some thoughts on how to create one. To receive the weekly Unleashed email, which includes the transcript of every episode, consulting tips, and book recommendations, sign up he...
Jan 01, 2019•4 min
Our guest today is Michael Zipursky, who runs a firm called Consulting Success. Michael has written multiple books on consulting and he serves as a coach to consultants, helping them grow their practice. You can learn more about Michael and get in touch via his website, consultingsuccess.com To receive the weekly Unleashed email, which includes the transcript of every episode, consulting tips, and book recommendations, sign up here: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/...
Dec 31, 2018•40 min
Our guest today is Jonathan Mann, who holds the Guiness World Record for Most Consecutive Days Writing a Song. He began his Song-a-Day project on January 1, 2009, and the upcoming New Year’s Day will mark an even ten years of writing, and recording, and publishing online, one new song every day. His story is an amazing and inspiring example of how showing up regularly, creating content and sharing it with the world, can open up opportunities that we have not even imagined. In our discussion, Jon...
Dec 17, 2018•53 min
Do the filenames you use demonstrate right-side-up thinking? That is, are you naming your files from your perspective, or from your client's perspective? Small cues matter.
Dec 13, 2018•3 min
We all have a choice. Is your business closed when closed? Or open when closed? How will you choose?
Dec 12, 2018•7 min
Our guest today is Robin Colucci, who is a book writing coach. If you are thinking of writing a non-fiction book to advance your career, Robin is someone who would help you think through the strategy of the book to increase the odds that all the effort you put into creating the book will have the impact you hope to achieve. In this episode, we discuss the questions that Robin asks her clients and how to think through who is the audience of a book, what that audience is already looking for, and h...
Dec 10, 2018•48 min
Our guest today is Danna Staaf, an independent science writer and the author of Squid Empire: The Rise and Fall of the Cephalopods. Danna received a PhD from Stanford University in Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography, and then rather than continuing on an academic track, she decided to become a science communicator, rather than a science generator. In this episode we discuss what makes squid so fascinating and how Danna has created a successful career as an independent science writer. You...
Dec 03, 2018•39 min
If you want to be contacted about opportunities, it helps to be contactable.
Nov 29, 2018•5 min
Our guest today is Nitin Rohatgi, who is the co-founder of Enroute Consulting, a research firm based in India. Nitin’s firm supports independent consultants around the world, many of them McKinsey alums. I've been a client myself, and I’ve been very impressed by the quality of his firm’s work. With about twenty employees, his firm typically will pull together background research using secondary sources as well as ten or so proprietary data sources they subscribe to. They have deep experience in ...
Nov 26, 2018•37 min
Our guest today is Christopher McKenna, a Reader in Business History and Strategy at Said Business School at the University of Oxford. Chris is the author of The World’s Newest Profession: Management Consulting in the Twentieth Century , which was an absolutely eye-opening book for me, and I’d say is a must-read for any management consultant interested in the history of our profession. Here is a link to Chris's bio page at Oxford: https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/about-us/people/chris-mckenna...
Nov 19, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Our guest today is Michelle Welsch, a social worker by training, who is leading an extraordinary life – she has organized major events in New York City for clients including Seth Godin, and for the past five years, she has been running Learning House. Learning House is focused on education and leadership. To learn more, visit www.learninghousenepal.com. I got to know Michelle through dinners that she organizes in New York City – we talk about those dinners on the show, and you can learn more abo...
Nov 12, 2018•36 min
Our guest today is Rosina Samadani, a long-time friend who was my second Engagement Manager at McKinsey, and who provided me with invaluable advice when I was starting out as an independent consultant ten years ago. For a dozen years, Rosina ran a very successful boutique consulting firm, Capella Advisors, after leaving McKinsey. She is the founder of Truth On Call, which provides fast turnaround quantitative market research for the healthcare industry, and DocNews, which was acquired by America...
Nov 05, 2018•19 min
So a professional comedian and management consultant walk into a bar... Actually, that's just Anish Shah getting a drink. Anish Shah is a McKinsey alum and professional comedian who does corporate gigs around the world as well as independent management consulting. In this episode, Anish shares the story of how he built his comedy career, and we’ll hear a clip from one of his performances. Check out videos on his website, https://www.anishcomedy.com/videos , where you can also sign up on his mail...
Oct 29, 2018•49 min
Earlier this month, I visited London, Amsterdam, Paris, Munich, and Zurich to meet up with independent management consultants. While I originally imagined I would fly from one city to another, I ended up taking the train from London all the way to Zurich, and it was fantastic. In this short episode, I share five reasons why you should take the train in Europe instead of flying between cities, and some tips from a train-riding novice.
Oct 25, 2018•16 min
Our guest today is Zachary Schrag, a Professor of History at George Mason University. Zach has been a close friend of mine for nearly three decades, and I asked him on the show to share some practical tips that management consultants can learn from a professional historian. Zach gives me some advice on how to read a non-fiction book to get the most value (hint – read the introduction and the conclusion first.) He also shares some book recommendations and discusses five core aspects of the histor...
Oct 22, 2018•34 min
How do you pay a subcontractor? In this episode, I try to answer that question, sharing ten years of lessons learned, covering: 1) How do you actually transfer the money, covering options including check, PayPal, wire transfer, ACH, and bill.com 2) Tax implications, W9, 1099, and 'nexus issues' you need to be aware of 3) What to ask your subcontractor for in terms of an invoice 4) How to track payments to subcontractors
Oct 17, 2018•25 min
For over five years, Marni organized “Go and See” events for McKinsey, in which McKinsey clients or prospective clients would take a field trip to visit other McKinsey clients that had gone through some kind of transformation project with McKinsey’s help. On this episode, Marni shares her suggestions on what it takes to run a successful go-and-see, and the benefits to the past clients, the potential clients, and the consultant who organizes the event. After this episode, perhaps you’ll consider ...
Oct 15, 2018•41 min
Michael Brennan is the former CEO of the United Way of Southeastern Michigan, and now the Co-Founder and CEO of Civilla, a Center for Social Innovation rooted in human centered design to help courageous leaders tackle some of the toughest social issues. Michael decided to devote his energies to fixing a problem in Michigan: The entry point to Michigan's public benefit system is an application that is over 40 pages long. With over 1000 questions and more than 18,000 words it is the longest applic...
Oct 08, 2018•53 min
Our guest today is Jeanne Martinet, the author of The Art of Mingling: Fun and Proven Techniques for Mastering Any Room. I’ve always been a pretty strong introvert and never enjoyed mingling-type events very much – until I read this book about fifteen years ago. The book was eye-opening for me, and while I would not say that I’m good at mingling, the techniques in this book at least help me survive and even enjoy myself. So it was a huge amount of fun to speak with Jeanne and discuss the advice ...
Oct 01, 2018•46 min
Our guest today is Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, the author of a fantastic new book titled The Public Health Crisis Survival Guide: Leadership and Management in Trying Times, published by Oxford University Press. This book is a great read for any leader, not just those in public health, since the lessons are so broadly applicable, and the stories are so fascinating. Also recommended for consultants who want to know how to advise a client through a crisis. Josh is a physician and a public health leader ...
Sep 25, 2018•37 min
Our guest today is a hero of mine, Ethan Rasiel, a McKinsey alum and the author of The McKinsey Way and The McKinsey Mind. I read The McKinsey Way before I got interviewed by McKinsey – it helped me understand the Firm, and, well, I got an offer. In this episode, Ethan shares the story of how he got the idea for the book, how he did the research, and the reaction of the Firm.
Sep 17, 2018•29 min
Our guest today is Jessica Rhodes, who runs a firm called Interview Connections. They help their clients get booked as a guest on podcasts. Let’s say you want to raise your visibility by being on someone’s show. Jessica’s firm will come up with a list of podcasts that would be a good fit for your expertise and the audience you are trying to reach. And then they work to build relationships with hosts so they can get you booked as a guest. Their website is https://interviewconnections.com/...
Sep 10, 2018•43 min
