Unleashed - How to Thrive as an Independent Professional

Not every job has a fixed location, but job-posting websites seem to think they do.   There should be an option to list "Remote" as the location.

Best-practice email introductions.

Right before Christmas, I went with my family to an open rehearsal of the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. It was a lot more fun than going to the formal, black tie performance later that evening. It made me think - how can I make my interactions with clients more like that rehearsal - loose, creative, fun, authentic, human - instead of like the formal performance. If you haven't already, consider...

I discuss four quadrants on a classic 2x2 matrix Vertical axis: willingness to take the initiative Chutzah = high willness Compliance = low willingness Horizontal axis: openness to new information Humility = high openness Arrogance = low openness

Adopting a five decade time horizon allows you to make rewarding investments in skills, relationships, knowledge, and your health that a shorter time frame would suggest won't pay off.

You probably wouldn't hire a graphic designer or a wedding photographer without looking at their portfolio. Independent consultants ought to have a portfolio as well - samples of sanitized work you can share with potential clients. I've found that many independent consultants do NOT have a portfolio, however, and here are some thoughts on how to create one. To receive the weekly Unleashed email, w...

Our guest today is Michael Zipursky, who runs a firm called Consulting Success.  Michael has written multiple books on consulting and he serves as a coach to consultants, helping them grow their practice. You can learn more about Michael and get in touch via his website, consultingsuccess.com To receive the weekly Unleashed email, which includes the transcript of every episode, consulting tips, an...

Our guest today is Jonathan Mann, who holds the Guiness World Record for Most Consecutive Days Writing a Song. He began his Song-a-Day project on January 1, 2009, and the upcoming New Year's Day will mark an even ten years of writing, and recording, and publishing online, one new song every day. His story is an amazing and inspiring example of how showing up regularly, creating content and sharing...

Do the filenames you use demonstrate right-side-up thinking? That is, are you naming your files from your perspective, or from your client's perspective? Small cues matter.

We all have a choice. Is your business closed when closed? Or open when closed? How will you choose?

Our guest today is Robin Colucci, who is a book writing coach. If you are thinking of writing a non-fiction book to advance your career, Robin is someone who would help you think through the strategy of the book to increase the odds that all the effort you put into creating the book will have the impact you hope to achieve. In this episode, we discuss the questions that Robin asks her clients and...

Our guest today is Danna Staaf, an independent science writer and the author of Squid Empire: The Rise and Fall of the Cephalopods. Danna received a PhD from Stanford University in Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography, and then rather than continuing on an academic track, she decided to become a science communicator, rather than a science generator. In this episode we discuss what makes squi...

If you want to be contacted about opportunities, it helps to be contactable.

Our guest today is Nitin Rohatgi, who is the co-founder of Enroute Consulting, a research firm based in India.  Nitin's firm supports independent consultants around the world, many of them McKinsey alums. I've been a client myself, and I've been very impressed by the quality of his firm's work. With about twenty employees, his firm typically will pull together background research using secondary s...

Our guest today is Christopher McKenna, a Reader in Business History and Strategy at Said Business School at the University of Oxford. Chris is the author of The World's Newest Profession: Management Consulting in the Twentieth Century , which was an absolutely eye-opening book for me, and I'd say is a must-read for any management consultant interested in the history of our profession. Here is a l...

Our guest today is Michelle Welsch, a social worker by training, who is leading an extraordinary life – she has organized major events in New York City for clients including Seth Godin, and for the past five years, she has been running Learning House.  Learning House is focused on education and leadership. To learn more, visit www.learninghousenepal.com. I got to know Michelle through dinners that...

Our guest today is Rosina Samadani, a long-time friend who was my second Engagement Manager at McKinsey, and who provided me with invaluable advice when I was starting out as an independent consultant ten years ago. For a dozen years, Rosina ran a very successful boutique consulting firm, Capella Advisors, after leaving McKinsey. She is the founder of Truth On Call, which provides fast turnaround...

So a professional comedian and management consultant walk into a bar... Actually, that's just Anish Shah getting a drink. Anish Shah is a McKinsey alum and professional comedian who does corporate gigs around the world as well as independent management consulting. In this episode, Anish shares the story of how he built his comedy career, and we'll hear a clip from one of his performances. Check ou...

Earlier this month, I visited London, Amsterdam, Paris, Munich, and Zurich to meet up with independent management consultants.  While I originally imagined I would fly from one city to another, I ended up taking the train from London all the way to Zurich, and it was fantastic. In this short episode, I share five reasons why you should take the train in Europe instead of flying between cities, and...

Our guest today is Zachary Schrag, a Professor of History at George Mason University. Zach has been a close friend of mine for nearly three decades, and I asked him on the show to share some practical tips that management consultants can learn from a professional historian. Zach gives me some advice on how to read a non-fiction book to get the most value (hint – read the introduction and the concl...

How do you pay a subcontractor? In this episode, I try to answer that question, sharing ten years of lessons learned, covering: 1) How do you actually transfer the money, covering options including check, PayPal, wire transfer, ACH, and bill.com 2) Tax implications, W9, 1099, and 'nexus issues' you need to be aware of 3) What to ask your subcontractor for in terms of an invoice 4) How to track pay...

For over five years, Marni organized "Go and See" events for McKinsey, in which McKinsey clients or prospective clients would take a field trip to visit other McKinsey clients that had gone through some kind of transformation project with McKinsey's help. On this episode, Marni shares her suggestions on what it takes to run a successful go-and-see, and the benefits to the past clients, the potenti...

Michael Brennan is the former CEO of the United Way of Southeastern Michigan, and now the Co-Founder and CEO of Civilla, a Center for Social Innovation rooted in human centered design to help courageous leaders tackle some of the toughest social issues. Michael decided to devote his energies to fixing a problem in Michigan: The entry point to Michigan's public benefit system is an application that...

Our guest today is Jeanne Martinet, the author of The Art of Mingling: Fun and Proven Techniques for Mastering Any Room. I've always been a pretty strong introvert and never enjoyed mingling-type events very much – until I read this book about fifteen years ago. The book was eye-opening for me, and while I would not say that I'm good at mingling, the techniques in this book at least help me surviv...

Our guest today is Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, the author of a fantastic new book titled The Public Health Crisis Survival Guide: Leadership and Management in Trying Times, published by Oxford University Press. This book is a great read for any leader, not just those in public health, since the lessons are so broadly applicable, and the stories are so fascinating.  Also recommended for consultants who...