Stuck between mediocrity and excellence

Growing up as a kid, I used to read a lot. My mom used to drop me off at the public library and I would read as much as I could. As long as I can remember, I used to dive deep into mysteries or any book where there was a detective trying to solve a case. Encyclopedia Brown, The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew (I'm all about diversity), Sherlock Holmes (over and over) - I read them religiously. Now I'm a big James Patterson, John Grisham, and Patricia Cornwell reader. I also like Tom Clancy. But he just writes a lot of pages and it's really hard to finish one of his books after a few airplane rides. Knowing that's how I grew up, it's interesting to me that I'm in the line of business that I'm in. Business problems are business problems and it's hard to really create good stories off of ho hum business problems. Revenues are stagnant. Costs are high. Profits are down. There are only so many themes you can go with. The interesting stuff is the drama in the boardro...

"If it wasn't for [insert name here], this would never have happened..."  It's this statement, with variations at times, that helps me define whether I, or someone else, has added value or played an integral part in a sale or significant accomplishment. I'll be honest with you. There are some days where I ask that question about myself and all I hear is crickets. Such is the life of being stuck in the middle where you get pulled in multiple directions and are expected to do everything well all at the same time. I can't complain though. It's the try before you buy period where the firm is evaluating how much you can handle. What I've learned though is that there are times where you have to take credit and undergo a self-promotion campaign to make yourself relevant in front of the right people. For example, a great friend from business school called me about an opportunity in his company (Fortune 500, well-known organization, any consultant would love to...

I finally have a grievance to file.  Recruiting and interviewing is something that I love to do. I get to meet extremely intelligent and talented individuals. Part of me is re-energized with the thought of working with this younger generation. I also get to practice putting my story together around what my experiences have meant throughout my career. But most importantly, I get a window into a new class and begin to develop relations early on so that I can get ahead in the staffing process. Self-serving I know. But this job is self-serving at times. I remember (in the dark ages) when I painstakingly hand wrote thank you notes and mailed them to the person that I interviewed reiterating my want and desire for a job that I had just interviewed for. Granted, with the introduction of word processors, those thank you notes may have become impersonal - but I did make it a point to include a data point or conversation piece that I could reference during my interview with a par...

I just got finished watching The Social Network. My key takeaway was that if I was self-conscious about being an underachiever, then that movie just reaffirmed it. There are people that operate at a level that is beyond my comprehension. I can respect that. But just once I want a day of knowing what it's like to be on point and operating a step ahead of other people -- just once. That said, amidst the parenting, blogging, tweeting, and working that I do, I sometimes wonder where it's all headed. I see other practitioners that are working 24/7, being political by hobnobbing with all of the right people, and doing what it takes to get a great rating, accelerate their career track, and make tons of money while earning the adoration of their peers. The key word in that sentence is 'other.' Me -- I'm perfectly content with going with the flow, working with great people, and doing good work for clients. I'm not happy that there are practitioners a level below me or ...

Malcolm Gladwell wrote Blink. I am writing a post called Blank.  I haven't posted anything in a while and honestly it's because I just ran out of things to really have a point of view on. Every day I try to come up with something to post -- and every day I come up with, you guessed it...blank. It's quite sad. Currently I've been recruiting quite a bit. MBAs, Juniors in college, 1st year MBAs, experienced hires - you name it, I've probably given any of one of them a case. Here's what I have learned and it's probably nothing new.  You can measure kids by standardized test, grades, and aptitude tests, but there is a lot to be said for a person's gut feel. I have no idea how I managed to stay in this business, but I definitely know in a 45 minute interview who has the moxy to succeed in this business. In all honesty, it's probably how the decision to hire me was made. Like a lot of things, people can practice enough to understand how to work a case or...

Last year my wife got me a Kindle. For someone that loves to highlight, underline, and dog ear pages - it was a bit of adjustment. An adjustment that took about a day.  The issue that I have with a Kindle is not even with the device. It's with the airlines for not letting me read when the plane is taking off or landing. At the rate that iPads, mobile phones, Kindles, and other gadgets with on/off switches are taking over, the airlines pre-takeoff safety message may take as long as the flight. With that small vent out of the way, I'll circle back to my Kindle. The best part of an e Reader is that you have the ability to download a book whenever you want and you can store as many books as you can possibly read. My obsession with business books has spilled over into my Kindle library and right now I am reading 3 at the same time. The problem with this is that a book on Executive Presence , Execution , and Finding your Mojo all have messaging that is running together in my head. O...

There is an entirely different world in management consulting that I'm being exposed to and it's what I'll call, big "S". It's a world made up of surrogates (like the Bruce Willis movie) that require very little sleep and run on pure octane. It's a world where pictures of 2 x 2's, concentric circles, and numbers all jumble together to make a work of art that Andy Warhol could admire. It's a world so full of flash and information load- you have absolutely no choice but to get sucked in. Lead times are in nanoseconds and deadlines appear like ninja assassins. They aren't there when the lights are on, but when the lights go down, they'll instantly appear and kill you. Unfortunately for me, I'm one that represents what I'll call little "o." We are simple human beings that believe in practical approaches and take into account human emotional intelligence. We communicate in a simple manner with no more than six bullets and m...