Book Review: The McKinsey Mind

The book The McKinsey Mind by Ethan and Paul is a master-piece for professionals seeking structured approach to problem solving. The book could broadly be divided into three sections- Analyzing, Presenting and Managing. The authors have further divided this book into several chapters for each of these sections.

In the section Analyzing, the book covers the ways a problem statement could be formed through appropriate hypothesis formulation, designing of project delivery including staffing, resource allocation etc., gathering information through formal and informal sources and interpreting the information gathered to test the hypothesis. The book also suggest several ways to collect data, conduct interviews, tweaking hypothesis if founded untrue. 

In the next section on presenting, in addition to the methods of presenting a structured and easy-to-understand method of presentation; the book discusses how to buy the confidence of various stakeholders. The chapter on "buy-in" is crucial to understand and penetrate into the organizational politics of the client. 

The third section on managing has three chapters: team, client and self. In these chapters the authors go beyond the dos and don'ts of project delivery to discuss the nuances of managing team, client and one-self. 

This book is a must read for students aspiring a career in management consulting and for professionals who seek logical and structured way of problem-solving. 

Book Review: History of the World

The History of the World From the Late Nineteenth to the Early Twenty-First Century authored by Arjun Dev and Indira Arjun Dev is a wonderful read of the world history- concise and easy to comprehend. The authors have lucidly explained all the major incidents of the period using World War I, World War II and Cold War as the principal focal points.

The book is divided into five broad chapters: world before World War I, World War I, World between the two World Wars, World War II, and Post World War II. Each of the chapters covers all major and important incidents of the time that have a bearing on the way world politics is being shaped. The book also provides a bird's eye view on the major incidents that took place in the recent times be it US's war on Iraq, Afghanistan etc.

This book is extremely informative and is highly recommended if world history of the recent times interests you. The lucid descriptions, illustrative maps, interconnected themes makes it a easy read.

Book Review: IT"S NOT LUCK

Eliyahu M Holdratt comes up with innovative business strategies through his book "It's not luck". UniCo goes for a shift in its policy and decides to sell the non-core businesses. Unfortunately, Alex Rogo's companies dealing with printer, cosmetics and pressure pump industries have to be sold. Rogo has to ensure a good deal for all these companies and being an empathetic superior Rogo also wants to ensure that the jobs of the employees remain intact.

All the three businesses have their own set of challenges and Rogo  has limited time and no investment to turn the loss making units to a gold mine. Here comes his skill to identify the UDEs (UnDesirable Effects), formulate Current and Future Reality Tree. Many times constructing these diagrams helps Rogo to visual a clearer and sharper image of the issues faced by the business and ways to challenge and change the business offering without any substantial investment.

Well, the last two chapter of the book moves into a newer issue- what is the right kind of business expansion strategy? Here also Rogo manages to convince his bosses that business has three prime objectives to fulfill:
1. To make money now and in future
2. To provide a secure and satisfying environment to employees now and in the future
3. To provide satisfaction to the market now and in the future
Rogo goes ahead to explain the merits of running business with these three fundamental goals and then comes up with a business expansion strategy that he feels appropriate.

Like Goal, It's Not Luck (Goal 2 in India) is a smooth and engaging read. You read a novel that sharpen your understanding of business- marketing, operations, people management and business strategy. A must read for managers and corporate leaders.