(Part 2) Best products from r/consulting

My favorite topic - I'm a headphone nut (not Bt headset) and never put my phone to my head... I also compulsively listen to podcasts and music in transit so have them in all the time. That said, I've never seen a mute button on a cord. I'd love that and have thought it for years but I compulsively use the phone's mute.

My favorites (...and always buy these on sale):

• For calls, the best are Bose MIE2 (or similar). I like them because they're comfortable and you can still hear ambient noise when they ar ein your ear. for this reason I think they're pretty shit headphones for airplanes - it's almost impossible to make laptop/ipad movies loud enough.
  http://www.amazon.com/Bose-MIE2-Mobile-Headset-Black/dp/B007WQ9LSC/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1421263685&sr=8-11&keywords=bose+earphones
  
  
• Overall my go-tos are Klipsch S4i-II. They are noise isolating so I can use them as headphones when napping on a plane, and there is no issue getting great sound no matter the ambient noise. For this reason though, on calls I need to leave one ear out so I do not speak too loud.
  http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-Image-S4i-II-In-Ear-Headphones/dp/B008X8HZZO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421263865&sr=8-3&keywords=klipsch
  
  
• From time to time I find unopened Blackberry headsets in desk drawers- these are great fall-backs as they isolate sound and are high quality. Far superior to Apple's ear-ejection models.
  
  
• For pure sound quality and isolation I've always been a fan of Etymotic. I got them years ago to fit under a motorcycle helmet and have kept using them. I have not bought a pair in years but like their products.
  
  
• Biggest disappointment has been Plantronics BackBeat Go 2 Bluetooth headphones. They make the cord just long enough, and sticky enough to get caught on clothing even more than wired headphones. Super annoying.
  http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-BackBeat-Wireless-Earbud-Headphones/dp/B00DIOALPE/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1421264259&sr=8-11&keywords=plantronics+bluetooth
  
  

Not OP but here are some great books I've read that are either directly or tangentially related. Can't seem to get hyperlinks to work right now for some reason so bear with me on the long links.

Day 1 Reading: Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbarians_at_the_Gate:_The_Fall_of_RJR_Nabisco

Understanding Mergers and Acquisitions in the 21st Century: A Multidisciplinary Approach

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Mergers-Acquisitions-Century-Multidisciplinary/dp/0230336663?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

Creating Value: Mergers and Acquisitions Challenges

http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Value-Mergers-Acquisitions-Challenges/dp/0201721503?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

1000+ page book good for reference, not reading: The Art of M&A

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/art-of-m-a-fourth-edition-stanley-foster-reed/1101371415/2672747763289?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Marketplace+Shopping+Textbooks_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP20456&k_clickid=3x20456

Really good, technical, about valuation: Art of M&A Valuation and Modeling: A Guide to Corporate Valuation

https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=HsSiCgAAQBAJ&source=productsearch&utm_source=HA_Desktop_US&utm_medium=SEM&utm_campaign=PLA&pcampaignid=MKTAD0930BO1&gl=US&gclid=CKuJk8qM-8wCFWObMgod5qUJ2g&gclsrc=ds

If you want ones that come with CDs and Excel workbooks, I've heard really good things (but have not read myself) about the following books:

This one is way too finance-y: Investment Banking: Valuation, Leveraged Buyouts, and Mergers and

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=investment%20banking%20valuation%20leveraged%20buyouts%20and%20mergers%20and%20acquisitions

Applied mergers and acquisitions:

http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-047139534X.html

If you're working in consulting - see if you can find whether your firm has any classes taught by Training the Street. Most efficient course I've ever taken as an excel guru.

I started on my own however with this book: Excel 2010 Bible. I know it's not a video course but absolutely amazing for the medium.

Finally, as someone who actually teaches excel for my firm, the one thing I always break curriculum to show off are form control buttons. There's a great little starter here. They require 0 VBA yet put one of these puppies on a graph's source data and you have an interactive workbook that will blow a partner's pants off.

Good luck!

I recently got an Away Bigger Carry-On, and it does attract a lot of scratches pretty easily, so I recommend a neutral or darker color. Battery is easy to pop out if you ever have to check the bag in. One thing to note is that it does not have any expansion zippers, but I've been able to pack as much as I need for the week. I also haven't had issues carrying it into domestic flights so far. Wheels are good, interior compartments feel pretty standard.

I also have a TravelPro but I found that the way it was structured did not let me pack as much as I wanted. It's a great bag otherwise and it still looks good as new after 3 years. The magnetic wheel mechanism thing is also a nice touch on this bag.

Both are solid choices and don't break the bank too badly. I think Away has a 100 day return policy if you want to try it out and see how you like it.

If I was running an 'Interviewing for PM roles 101' first and foremost I'd go over this article by Ken Norton. It runs the gamut of questions I've had over the course of many interviews and sets expectations around a possible interviewers frame of mind.

For books I have three: Cracking the PM Interview, Swipe to Unlock, and Decode and Conquer. Cracking the PM Interview is a general overview of what PMs do, how to prepare for interviews, and general interview questions. Swipe to Unlock give reasons for why certain PM decisions were made and the strategy behind it. Decode and Conquer has more interview questions, but also sample answers to them and is a bit more technically-focused.

My recommendation is to come up with something you want to build and explore what it would take to do that. For example, what if I was interested in who would win the Oscars? I might use Twitter's Search API and explore which movies come up the most with the hashtag Oscars. What would that take? Well, I would have to integrate with Twitter security so they know it's a valid request, use Twitter's documentation to figure out how to search for terms, and then import that into a data analysis tool to do sentiment analysis. In an interview I discussed what I would build, worked through what features I would want to add, and a roadmap for deployment, which was a fun exercise!

There are three types of books on consultancy - self-help type books à la the McKinsey Way, which largely promise to make you more of a consultant, then there are the derisory "they're ripping everyone off" ones and lastly, there is scholarly work. The book I am describing falls in the latter category:

I personally felt that the best introduction to consulting as a profession was O'Mahoney's "Management Consultancy".


This book provides a good introduction to the field, covering the industry as a whole as well as the different sub-types of consultancy there are.
It goes into good depth about the different types of clients and reasons why people buy consultancy services. This is followed by a description of the typical engagement lifecycle, sales approaches, proposal writing, negotiations and how projects are controlled and delivered. The book also covers tools, skills and techniques used by firms and the various types of grades they employ.


O'Mahoney also assembles a third section that covers a more critical perspective of consulting as a profession, which deals with the history of the industry and its professionalisation, the role of consultants in developing the knowledge economy, their role as innovators, but also the relationship between consultancy and the risks inherent in modern capitalism and neo-liberalism.


From this flows a section on ethics, as well as on how to make a career in consultancy.

A lot of young people join the industry without knowing or even understanding the business model and underlying principles these firms are run with. The book sheds light on that too.



All in all, one of the best books there is if you are looking for an academic, comprehensive overview that is not the typical consulting-bashing or sucking-up to industry gurus.


Hope this helps.


Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Management-Consultancy-Joe-OMahoney/dp/0199577188

The Trusted Advisor is probably the best that I've read as far as general consulting is concerned. But, to be honest, any popular consulting book that you find is going to be 98% junk (fortunately, they're typically quick, if insipid and boring reads).

If you haven't read any strategy books, I'd start with Michael Porter's Competitive Strategy. There's such a love for Porter that even mentioning him in some circles earns you respect.

I might also recommend Crossing the Chasm, too. It's a book about innovation and market adoption which might not seem important if you're not doing startup strategy. However, whenever you're engaged in any effort to do anything (You're either providing a new product, new service, or making people change) you'll have to consider adoption down the road. This will help you segment your targeted audience and understand how and why they're responding the way they do.

I hope you have a way of displaying your presentation - may i recommend:

https://www.amazon.com/Brookstone-MP100-Pocket-Projector-Mobile/dp/B008D6JDS8

And i hope you're not going to rely on your computer speakers for the acoustics. Sonos has some great wireless speakers that you should be able to interface with. I'd say 2 Play:5s, 2 Play:1s, the Subwoofer, as well as a sound bridge will do the trick.

Good luck!

Banana Republic all the way. My favorite are the tailored fit button-ups—bonus points they also come in petite sizes. Stiff collar, sleeves roll up nicely, and they withstand regular travel-packing + luggage abuse.

Not sure how you feel about washable silk, but these were a game-changer for me. They're so light and breathable, easy to pack and super comfy. They also dry quickly if you're someone like me and regularly spill coffee on yourself. :)

Last parting thought: Consider a portable garment steamer if you're not a fan of ironing. It's so much faster and can be a makeshift humidifier in cold, dry hotel rooms.

Few tips that might be helpful.

(1) Check out the book 'Psyched' - https://www.amazon.com/Psyched-Up-Science-Preparation-Succeed/dp/159184830X. Among the many takeaways, the author suggests sticking to the same routine prior to a major event (ex: presentation). Try incorporating music that pumps you up.

(2) I'd like to think I'm good with presentations but I notice many areas for improvement after every single presentation. Make sure to get weekly practice by joining the closest Toastmasters club.

(3) Try to reduce the fear of the audience by interacting with the audience members leading up to the presentation. Additionally, make them receptive to your message prior to the presentation. There are multiple ways to do this - ex: a short write-up, providing an agenda, setting up the stage over emails, etc.

(4) Avoid thinking of presentations as a one-way interaction. This is the biggest error a lot of folks make. Turning the presentation into a 2-way conversation also helps you craft the ideal presentation for the audience in question.

(5) Avoid drinking coffee very close to presentation time. Aim to drink coffee at least an hour before presentation time, maybe even earlier than that if possible.

(6) Absorb the room and the various settings beforehand. Try to walk across the stage couple of times even before your presentation. Walk across the room few times prior to the presentation and let the atmosphere soak in.

(7) Try the superman pose as you're setting up to give your presentation. Take a deep breath. Connect eyes with random people and smile as they're taking their seats. It warms up the audience for you and they're more likely to want you to succeed.

Some thoughts:

• Luggage- your briefcase is a VERY important investment. It says a lot about you and also is the item you'll use most often to carry everything. Getting a nice briefcase had a huge impact for me. DO NOT check a bag ever ever ever ever. You'll get faster at packing as you go on and will have more and more room in your suitcase as you eliminate things you truly don't need. Get one of these: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002YIRBU8/ref=twister_B002YIPBI2
  
  
• Ipad- Absolutely essential in case you're stressed on the road and want to watch something but don't want to watch that something on your work laptop (ahem)
  
  
• Suits- not important much if you're going to be doing only work domestically, but abroad or for banks everyone wears suits, so it's good to acquire them sooner rather than later
  
  
• Shampoo- hotel shampoo sucks after too many nights in a row-- really raw scalp. bring some mini shampoos with you
  
  
• Good earbuds so that you can tune out others and take calls without holding the phone up
  
  
• Extra chargers, because important people forget them and then are grateful that you are prepared
  
  
• Get business cards right away...never know who you're going to meet on a flgiht!
  
  
• GET GLOBAL ENTRY AND SIGN UP FOR TSA PRE-CHECK IMMEDIATELY. IT WILL SAVE YOU HOURS.

If you've got a couple of weeks until your start date, buy this book and read it:

CompTIA Network+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition

You can also look up the author's series of videos on Youtube. You don't actually have to take and pass the certification but it wouldn't be the end of the world if you did. Since you say you didn't have a single comp sci class it would actually probably help with your confidence to get certified and to understand the ins and out of networking. If you can break down how computers communicate with each other you can go a long ways towards figuring out potential security problems.

My guess is that their "analyst" training will be much more about NIST Special Publication 800-53 than any actual network or security analysis but that's fine. If you can learn some tech stuff on your own you won't look like a total n00b when they deposit you at a client site and tell you to add value immediately or else.

Start by being viewed as an advisor instead of a supplemental worker.

Two things - Immediate term and long term:

Immediate term:

It sounds like she has a vision she wants executed. She's already mapped out how it should go in her mind, and doesn't know you / trust you well enough to allow you to have input into designing the plan. The real question is why she's bringing in your consulting firm to execute instead of having her staff do it.

Does she have staffing issues and her team is already at capacity? Is she looking for a scapegoat in case the project goes poorly (e.g. "Boutique Public Sector Consulting firm said we should do it this way! Blame them, not me!")

Long term:

You need to be viewed as more that someone who will execute on the vision. You need to be viewed as someone who's input is valued and important. You need to be someone the minister can trust. How you do that is way beyond the scope of a reddit post. Read this book instead:

The Trusted Advisor
Link: http://amzn.com/0743212347

Portable power strip

The 3oz. Gotoobs are really nice too if you prefer to use your own shampoo and soap rather than the hotels'. They also come in handy for camping trips and whatnot.

If you're comfortable asking for a more expensive item (then again these don't always have to be expensive; plenty of professionals rock free company bags, Samsonite bags, etc. as opposed to Tumi or something) , a professional laptop briefcase might be handy. Not sure what size your company laptop is/will be, but it's nice having the briefcase when you need it as opposed to a backpack.

Also if anyone has any recommendations on USB external monitors, I'd love to hear them. A few co-workers of mine have Lenovo ones, but since I last searched, I couldn't find any for sale.