The McKinsey Way

In The McKinsey Way, Ethan Rasiel gives a basic insight into the world of consulting. He gives insight into how top consultants think and structure their problem-solving. I enjoyed it and was able to use a few insights in my current projects before I even hit page 50. The book offers a nice refresher into the foundations of the consulting world. Though some of the lessons are generalist in nature, Rasiel was writing for a wider audience. Going into details about techniques and tools used will turn off some readers. Also, I find that the strategy about problem-solving holds more value than any tool. That's why Rasiel's lessons stood true even to this day. For writing style, I enjoy the shortness, the brevity, and the simplicity that Rasiel uses in this book. Rasiel leaves no room for fluff. You can tell that he takes these lessons to heart. I'd give this a 4.5/5. It's a nice refresher into the foundations of the consulting world. This book could use updating. Yet it still deserves a place in every consultant's (and consultant enthusiast's) bookshelf.

I'm making the transition from contractor (IT field) to consultant and I was looking for books to help me make this change. This book caught my attention and once I started reading I couldn't stop. I started Saturday afternoon and finished Sunday afternoon. The book gives simple yet very good advice. It's probably not advice you couldn't get elsewhere, but the writing style of the author makes it very enjoyable to read and I think even simple messages deserve repeating. I particularly enjoyed the stories from actual experiences at the firm. I found them fascinating. Quite a few people have nitpicked the book with negative reviews. My opinion is that they either don't have a sense of humor (and missed the jokes) or they are probably already above average consultants and therefore weren't the target audience. If you're not an experienced consultant, or if you're an average one, then this book could teach you a few things that make it well worth the price of the book. In summary, if I learned one thing from the book it is this: any problem can be solved with a good approach based on hypothesis, facts, and asking the right questions.

As an undergraduate economics major, I've been looking into various business careers for the past few years and have thought about doing everything from investment banking to fashion buying, but it wasn't until I read "The McKinsey Way" that I figured out what career I really wanted. Ethan Rasiel gives you the good and the bad aspects of the consulting industry, as well as numerous tips that everyone can and should use (i.e. make your boss look good, the elevator test, and just say "I don't know", to name a few.) And the book does not need to be read in sequential order; you can jump around to whatever section interests you without any problems. If you are considering a career in any type of consulting, I would definitely recommend you read this book, you'll gain a lot of insights and laugh at the same time. I have gone on to read the book twice, and still plan on reading it again.

This book is a good, if dated, introduction to the basics of strategy consulting in general and McKinsey in particular. If you are interested in strategy consulting this is a must read. It is very concise and generally well-written; although at times the author can come off as trying too hard to be amusing. It is a quick read and a fairly short book; shorter than the page numbers suggest because the font size is fairly large. This is a must-read not only if you are going into strategy consulting but if you are interested in high-level business thinking. For example, if you are planning to attend a top-tier MBA program, read this book. I found several useful bits of advice, esp. regarding how to structure your argument or presentation, especially the MECE principle: Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive. Overall, this book is worth the read.

Almost everyone is asked to be on a team in order to solve a problem. Few are prepared for the experience. The McKinsey Way is a good primer for anyone placed in this situation for the first time, because it simply explains a workable methodology for getting organized, identifying the issues, solving the problem, getting consensus and going on to implement successfully. A lot of this will be intuitive, but what is not intuitive is what will help you. You can probably best use this as a checklist to be sure you are not skipping steps. If you buy this book to be your own consultant expecting to get McKinsey-like results, you will probably not succeed. Drawing on lots of experience, skill, and smart people allows McKinsey to use this kind of methodology for best results. But you will certainly get better results than if you ignore the methodology, and few can afford McKinsey. Professional firms in other fields (such as accountants and lawyers) would do well to review this book to create a sense of urgency about having a methodology. My main regret is that the book is authored by someone who was an associate for three years rather than one of the firm's all-stars. Perhaps another McKinsey alum will be encouraged to share her or his views of the firm's approach. That would be nice for us all.

This is one of the best guides that describes the consultant's every day's life. It shows how one of the best strategic firm works and it helps to replicate it in our own business/life. It should be read by any business man, especially those who takes decisions every day and manages a company's part.It's really excellent.