I just completed a trip around the world in 27 days. After traveling 27,500 miles (approximately 44,000 km.), and through 10 airplane trips, I learned a few things that I’d like to share with you. During my trip, I held meetings with members of my Inner Circle mentorship program in Madrid, Taipei, Dubai, Beijing, and [...]
networking
Most people want to buy a magic pill that will solve all of your problems while you kick back on your sofa and do nothing. Lose 10 lbs over night (uh…yeah, okay.) Become a gazillionaire in 90 days. (Hmmm… I don’t think so.) “Magic pills” do not exist and never will. Most problems require at [...]
When you’re in school, students with the highest grades are seen as the high performers. However, something interesting happens when you get out into the workforce for a few years. You start to realize that high achievers quite often are not the smartest people in the room. For many people used to an academic environment, [...]
When I was at Stanford, the most successful students were the smartest ones. Fast forward 10 to 20 years, and the most successful people I know aren’t the smartest people I know. However, they often are the most connected. They have many friends in positions of influence and power. This works both within a company [...]
There’s a joke within McKinsey on how to solve a case. Here’s the case: A client is considering entering XYZ market segment because their core market is shrinking. What do you do? Candidate / 1st Year Consultant: “My hypothesis is they should enter the market. For that to be true, four key factors must be [...]
When it comes to both your personal life and professional life, your peer group profoundly impacts… well, everything. Your peers influence whom you socialize with, who becomes members of your professional network, what socially-derived expectations you do or don’t have for yourself, and the filter by which you consider all life decisions. If you want [...]
In school, it was generally assumed that the smartest people — the ones with the best grades — were the ones who would be most successful in life. Something interesting happens about 10+ years after graduating from school. You realize that this presumed relationship between success and intellect is NOT true. Here are a few [...]
When I left McKinsey to start my own company, a number of my McKinsey friends left to do the same. My two back-to-back startup attempts failed. A number of my McKinsey friends’ startups succeeded, in some cases wildly so (one of them was StubHub). For the first time in my career (and actually life), I [...]
The following is a letter I received from a F1Y who took a calculated path and persisted, despite many setbacks, to reach the ultimate goal of a full time consulting position. This story highlights specific actions the F1Y took to be successful, and is an important read for anyone pursuing this same goal. Success Story: [...]
This success story shows how much networking and confidence can make a difference in the case interview process. Success Story: I’m a PhD student at [private U.S. university] studying [science major]. I received a job offer from BCG after 5 one-on-one interviews and I’m ecstatic! I didn’t think I would ever have a chance to [...]