Category: Independent Consultants

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Catapult your Consulting Career Success with Jenny Rae, ManagementConsulted.com

MECE 027 | Management Consulted

 

Quick Wins episode with Jenny Rae La Roux, former MBB consultant and now the Managing Director of ManagementConsulted.com, the largest website globally for the management consultant community.

“Great consultants are fantastic listeners, deeply convicted of what the best solution is for their client, and incredibly focused.”

Jenny Rae has an impressive background which includes graduating from the University of Virginia,   writing a book, working on financial public policy in South Africa and sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. Jenny Rae also co-founded a tech company where she has advised over 45 different early- and mid-phase companies around the world, retired twice, and built up a real estate portfolio.

Jenny Rae discusses her career journey, provides her definition of a great consultant, and highlights the founding story of Managementconsulted.com.  She also provides her perspectives on the state of the consulting industry.

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Journey of a Seasoned Consultant and Serial Entrepreneur with Michael Beddows

MECE 026 | Serial Entrepreneur

 

AMA (Ask Me Anything) interview with Michael Beddows, a seasoned consultant, serial entrepreneur, and founder of the IT Consulting Group & Enterprising Group.

“Good consultants deliver value, but great consultants teach their clients how to deliver value for themselves.”

Michael shares his career journey going in and out of consulting and serial entrepreneurship as the founder of multiple start-ups.  He discusses four types of consultants – contractors, advisors, freelancers, and coaches- and how he did work in data mining, customer relationship management, content management, knowledge management, and enterprise collaboration. Michael now advises clients on customer experience and user experience.

Christie and Michael discuss the importance for consultants to have coaches as part of their career support system to go from good to great.  Michael shares his new venture, Enterprising Group, a peer to peer learning network for enterprise practitioners on various topics.   The first component of the Enterprising Group is called the IT Consulting Group, which focuses on providing coaching services to teach professionals how to be an IT Consultant.

“How can you achieve your 5-year plan in the next 6 months?”

Michael provides additional advice for younger consultants

  • Do not be intimidated by older, more experienced professionals
  • Begin working on your long term career plans now instead of later
  • Keep an eye on the impacts of artificial intelligence
  • Don’t underestimate the value of taking notes

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Projecting a Winning Image with Celebrity Personal Stylist Elsa Isaac

MECE 022 | Winning Image

In this Quick Wins episode, we discuss the importance of your image in consulting with personal image stylist Elsa Isaac.   Whether you realize it or not, scientific studies have shown that you are being judged by how you dress, especially in the workplace, which could impact your credibility, promotions, project opportunities, and raises/bonuses.

Style image is an important component of your brand and because it is such a personal choice, it is not always openly discussed, making it sometimes the “elephant” in the room.   Great consultants take their personal image very seriously.

Benefits of dressing well and creating a personal signature style:

  • Being well dressed can help you build relationships
  • Enhances your credibility and create a lasting impression when working with clients
  • Image can boost your self-confidence and elevate your energy in a way that helps you performance

Elsa helps us understand why image really matters & dispels the myth of image.  “Image doesn’t have to be a vain thing” Elsa shares.  She dissects how image could impact performance, shares her definition of being well-dressed, and provides a framework for creating a signature style and shopping techniques.

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Discussing Work-Life Balance, Music, and Fixing Banks with Ed

MECE 014 | Work-Life Balance

AMA (Ask Me Anything) interview where Ed, a senior manager and former bank examiner, shares his career journey and experiences as a consultant in the bank regulatory space. During this episode, Christie and Ed give mentoring advice to a consultant that is seeking career guidance to create more of a work-life balance so that he could pursue his passion and hobby of being an amateur musician.

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CEO Vulnerability, Power Of Detachment, And Passion Projects with John Robinson

MECE 7 | Power of Detachment

AMA interview with John Robinson, CEO of BackUp CEO, a company focused on CEO leadership coaching. John shares how he made the transition from corporate marketing to becoming an independent consultant to founding his firm. John also discusses the power of detachment, embracing vulnerability while leaning into danger, and his passion project, Mind at Ease network.

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