Over the past few weeks I’ve been getting an increased amount of traffic from three groups of readers (as far as I can tell):
- those pursuing MBAs or contemplating MBAs
- those seeking information on McKinsey
- those seeking information on PRTM (see below).
Let me give a short preface by saying this:
- I am not a McKinsey alum, but there is a post I wrote about a lack of management consultant blogs – this appears to have attracted some attention (here)
- I have a number of McKinsey alumni friends whom I compare notes with (to the extent allowed by ongoing confidentiality obligations to either PRTM, McKinsey, or clients of these firms)
- I am a present freelance management consultant, and I am an alum of the firm Pittiglio Rabin Todd & McGrath (PRTM), a relatively well-known firm at the top 20 business schools or so
- I have an MBA from the University of Chicago
Given the above, I thought I would write some posts that compare both PRTM and my freelance management consulting practices to the McKinsey practices outlined in the well-known book by Ethan Rasiel, "The McKinsey Way". Although I am slightly late in terms of typical business school recruiting seasons, perhaps these posts will be of interest to those looking to gain more insight to the profession. Anyway, Ethan’s book is an excellent introductory book on general management consulting, and many of the practices can be used as a general manger within a company as opposed to just a consulting firm. Whether Ethan’s account is an accurate representation of all vintages of McKinsey consulting, I cannot say because there has been some shifting around in the past five years. That said, his book is likely not too far off in terms of breath. It is definitely a great foundation to base a discussion on because it is publicly accessible by all.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should also mention that, in general, I am a fan of both PRTM and McKinsey. I do not plan to make any disparaging remarks about either firm, and I will tend to highlight my perspectives on greatest strengths as opposed to weaknesses. If I highlight weaknesses, they will likely be directed at the general industry.
Posts will be forthcoming. Stay tuned.
Steve Shu