Ethan Rasiel - The McKinsey Mind: Understanding and Implementing the Problem-Solving Tools and Management Techniques of the World’s Top Strategic Consulting Firm

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For Emma, Jessica, and TaliaEMR

For Meredith (motivation), Mom (direction), Dad (curiosity), and Lido (energy)PNF

First and foremost, I would like to thank my coauthor, Paul Friga. This book discusses the virtues of teamwork at length, and I can think of no better example of successful teamwork than our collaboration. This book is much stronger for it. He has pushed my thinking in new and productive directions; I trust he can say the same of me.Ethan M. Rasiel

Without question, the first acknowledgment goes to my coauthor, Ethan Rasiel. First, he graciously brought me into the process after already achieving great success with his solo effort on his first book, The McKinsey Way. Second, he offered incredible insight, enthusiasm, and direction. And third, he taught me lessons in persistence, storytelling, and unselfishness.Paul N. Friga

The authors owe thanks to many without whom this book would not be in your hands. First, their agent, Daniel Greenberg at James Levine Communications, Inc.; their editor, Mary Glenn; Katherine Hinkebein; and the entire team at McGraw-Hill who made this book a reality. Joe Burton, Simon Carne, Jerry Friga, Ed Pringle, and Paul Sansone made insightful suggestions in the early stages of this manuscript. Our research assistants, Lindsay Cage, Rebecca Jones, and especially Karen Jansen, rendered invaluable support administering questionnaires, researching ideas, and organizing material. David Ernsthausen at the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina provided expert assistance with the knowledge management section of this book, and Peggy Pickard, also of UNC, ensured that we had the facilities we needed for our frequent conferences and brainstorming sessions.

Most of all, we are grateful to all those McKinsey alumni who gave us interviews or answered our questionnaires: Jim Bennett, Omowale Crenshaw, Dean Dorman, Naras Eechambadi, Bob Garda, Evan Grossman, Eric Hartz, Paul Kenny, Stevie McNeal, Sylvia Mathews, Bill Ross, Larry Rouvelas, Jeff Sakaguchi, Dan Veto, Steve Anderson, Alan Barasky, Martha Blue, Roger Boisvert, Francesca Brockett, Bob Buchsbaum, Ciara Burnham, S. Neil Crocker, Dominik Falkowski, Brad Farnsworth, Shyam Giri-dharadas, Barbara Goose, Francesco Grillo, Reggie Groves, Fred Kindle, Deborah Knuckey, Heiner Kopperman, Kurt Lieberman, Lee Newman, Leah Niederstadt, Ron OHanley, Rainer Siggelkow, Chacko Sonny, and Jim Whelan, as well as many others, who, for reasons of their own, wish to remain anonymous. We could not have written this book without them.

February 1999 saw the publication of The McKinsey Way by Ethan M. Rasiel, a former associate of management-consulting powerhouse McKinsey & Company. That book combined theoccasionally humorousanecdotes of McKinsey alumni with the personal recollections of the author to describe the techniques that McKinsey consultants use to help their clients become more efficient and effective. The McKinsey Way also painted a vivid picture of life behind the walls of the publicity-shy organization that its employees refer to as "the Firm."

The McKinsey Mind picks up where The McKinsey Way left off. Most of that book was taken up with a description of consulting McKinsey-style in the context of a typical project"engagement" in Firm jargon. It started with the sale of the engagement and moved step by step through the implementation of McKinseys solution. It also briefly discussed the thought process that McKinsey consultants use to tackle tough business problems.

By necessity, The McKinsey Way was more descriptive than prescriptive. With The McKinsey Mind