In the realm of business, the term “governance” conjures images of stale bureaucracy, mundane meetings, and rigid roles. However, such perceptions fail to capture the potential impact of governance to influence the actions, cognitions, and emotions of individuals. Effective governance can serve as the bedrock of organizational culture, which shapes perceptions, attitudes, and interactions throughout […]
Author: Sukhi R.
In today’s rapidly evolving world, organizations across various sectors are recognizing the transformative potential of introducing innovation into their governance processes. The traditional methods of governance, often characterized by bureaucratic hurdles, delayed decision-making, and limited stakeholder engagement, no longer meet the demands of the modern era. However, by harnessing the power of modern technology, organizations […]
Live for the moment, seize the day, carpie diem. These well cited cliches for stress management are based on the logic that by focusing intently on the present moment we can set aside past regrets and future anxieties. Doing so can provide us with a greater capacity to perform and succeed. Interestingly, such mottos directly […]
Whilst the workplace has become more personal in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced a convergence of issues like wellbeing and professionalism, showing too much personality at work has ironically yet to gain widespread acceptance. Although professionalism inevitably involves a certain amount of restraint, this frequently goes too far. Nowadays people often fear […]
One of the greatest by-products of the otherwise awful period of COVID-19 was a more universal workplace emphasis on well-being. Whilst some companies did have wellbeing on their corporate agendas before the pandemic, there was often no formal protocol to follow on how to safeguard or advocate employee wellbeing. As a result, attempts were often […]
Although virtual meetings have become a norm of working life post COVID-19, there is much that still feels strange about them. Be it physiological difficulties caused by staring at a screen for hours at a time or psychological troubles resulting from the knowledge that your face is being projected onto other people’s screens, there is […]
The concept of virtual meetings is fairly simple. You host a meeting that would otherwise be held physically via an online platform, most probably Teams. One may assume that the etiquette that applies to in-person meetings would also apply to virtual meetings. This would not be completely incorrect. All of the basic rules of etiquette […]
Whilst remote working has brought many benefits – increased flexibility, reduced travel costs, and resulting lower pollution – it has come with its own set of drawbacks. For example, it can be hard to create the same dynamic during an online meeting since the majority of the meaning in our communication is conveyed via body […]
Life is not all blue skies. To quote poet-philosopher Dolly Parton, “if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain”. The dark clouds of COVID-19 and its aftermath have plunged many people into a deep state of introspection following the shocking realisation of how quickly the rain can set in, and the […]
Motivation directly affects how much you are able to achieve in a day. It also affects your mood, focus, and persistence in the face of setbacks. Managing your motivation, and knowing what to do when motivation levels are low, is therefore an essential life skill. It is also a skill which is frequently underappreciated. People […]
Since leadership is about influencing people to act in a certain way, and psychology is the study of the human mind, it is sensible to combine the two disciplines. What can one tell us about the other? Drawing principles from psychology reveals a number of useful leadership lessons that are widely applicable – be it […]
When talking of money, it is normal to use the verb “spend”, which draws our attention to the fact that the amount of money anyone has is limited, usually by their income. This means any money given to a certain purpose is money sacrificed. It cannot be used for other things. The same is true […]
Working alone, in many ways, is much simpler than working as part of a team. You only need to account for your own abilities, work style preferences, and availability. Although group work does have its virtues – not least the access to a much boarder range of knowledge and expertise – it also has its […]
“Persistence” and “perseverance” are buzzwords you will find in almost every job description and in almost any interview. This article suggests that giving these words such stature and priority in the world of work is a mistake, since persistence alone may do more harm than good. Persistence refers to the notion of continuing a course […]
From the growth of digitalisation and globalisation to hybrid work arrangements employed during the pandemic, society is continuing to evolve. These changes have been accompanied by a shift in business’s approach to management. Understanding the rapidly changing business environment will be essential to ensure efficient and effective leadership going forwards. Change 1: From engaging to […]
Whilst COVID has been a universal force of devastation, bringing both the greatest number deaths and economic declines seen in decades, it has also been a force of transformation. For all the destruction, there has been an equal and opposite force of construction as people have found ways to adapt to the ‘new normal’. This […]
COVID-19 has been a mixed bag for the world of work. Whilst for some it has been a wholly negative experience, bringing redundancy, social isolation, and new erratic working conditions, for others it has brought immeasurable benefits. One such benefit is the ‘humanisation of the professional’. No longer is the label ‘professional’ disassociated from the […]
“Consulting has traditionally been and is still a boys club, particularly at management level”, female McKinsey Consultant. “A lot of times I found myself the only female in the room with another 10-15 males during the steering co-meeting”, BCG project leader. Despite a drive to make equality of opportunity a norm of modern workplaces, women are […]
Curiosity is a word frequently associated with childhood or domestic pets. When a child is experiencing the world around them for the first time and interacting with their new surroundings, we say they are curious. In the context of pets, curiosity is known to have killed the cat. This post asserts that curiosity is more […]
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The Importance of Being Wrong at Work
Being wrong is a natural part of being human. Everyone makes mistakes, misinterpretations, and miscalculations. Unfortunately, another natural part of being human is having an ego, and the accompanying desire for self-preservation. No one likes being seen to make mistakes as it can be embarrassing, cause reputational damage and loss of status, and make us […]
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Early Career Tips for Success
Starting out in any profession is difficult. Starting out and standing out simultaneously is even harder. In this article, we will look at some of the things I learned from my experience interning at a range of consulting firms this summer. 1. The power of networking Although networking is a widely cited element of success […]
When asked about important skills to succeed in the consulting field, there are generally some pretty standard responses: communication, organisation, team work, problem solving, and analytical thinking. Whilst these are undeniably central to the role of a consultant, there is one skill that no one ever acknowledges. Consulting is a ‘people game’. Your role as […]
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The Paradox of Teams
The concept of a ‘team’ has been around since the 16th century, and so one would assume that the term is fairly well understood. Whilst teams are an inseparable part of modern business practice, this article seeks to explore why they are actually a conceptual paradox, and what this means for professionals. The Team-Individuality Paradox […]
“In every crisis we are given an opportunity to evaluate our habitual tendencies” (Welch, 2020). The virus has not only changed the way we view health policy, but also our way of living and working. It seems no overstatement to say that the world will be a fundamentally different place after COVID-19. This post will […]
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Alternative Case Interview Tips
When conducting a search for case interview tips on the internet, you will quickly find yourself drowning in information. There are articles giving tips on how to speak, what to say, how to say it, what to wear, and so on. This post is not intended to be just another one of those articles. Instead, […]
A management consultant is someone who is consulted on difficult business issues. In other words, senior managers come to consultants for information and advice. Whilst not untrue, this is a fairly unremarkable description of what a consultant does. It is a description that, actually, doesn’t describe all that much at all. For instance, how, or […]