The McKinsey Way

Some books never lose their relevance. This is one such book. This book written in Feb ‘99 continues to be relevant even today. Ethan Rasiel, an ex-employee of McKinsey, gave us a peek behind the curtains of McKinsey, arguably the world’s most high profile consultant. Like all things high profile, there are myths and legends that are borne out of such larger than life reputations. More than 18,000 of their alumni work across every sector in 80 countries – they have no central office! They boast of alumni (see list here) like Kenichi Ohmae, Tom Peters, Helmut Kohl to name a few. At Business School campuses across the world they remain a coveted (and controversial) employer. They So what makes The Firm (as they like to call themselves) special?

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The Art of Woo

If you think people need to listen to your ideas just because they are bright, then go away and read this book that I just finished reading. The real world needs to be persuaded. In fact, you need to woo people to succeed in selling your ideas. Having smart ideas is necessary but not sufficient. Wharton Profs Shell and Moussa have tried to turn wooing into a science by giving those step by step instructions that people just LOVE! The picture of the two parakeets should become the mnemonic for you everytime you want to woo someone. Notice there is no club being used by the parakeet while wooing. In fact the one trying to woo is facing the object of attention. Yeah, it is always about understanding the others needs and point of view before you start your spiel.

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Secrets of Writers

Every author has a particular style. Some write on their desk. Some write everyday. Some go to a crowded spot to write while write in isolation. Last week I came across a copy of the weekend journal of Wall Street Journal dated 13-15 Nov ‘09. I was fascinated by Alexandra Alter’s article in the Books Section on the writing habits of some well known writers. Here are some interesting bits I gleaned out for you.

How do they start their novel? Do they need to think about the opening lines and closing lines?
Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk agonizes over the first line – rewriting it 50 or 100 times.
John Irving begins his novels by writing the last sentence first. Read more

The Curious Case of 221 B

The quizmaster’s question to you is, “Which fictional character lived at 221 B, Baker Street?” The answer is  Sherlock Holmes. You know that. Of course you do. Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the first public appearance of Holmes was in 1887. Sherlock Holmes birthday is generally deduced to be January 6, 1854. Holmes lived with his good friend and chronicler Watson, before his (Watson’s) marriage in 1887, and again after his wife’s  death.  Traditionally, the canon of Sherlock Holmes consists of the fifty-six short stories and four novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In this context, the term “canon” is an attempt to distinguish between Doyle’s original works and subsequent works by other authors using the same characters.
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Sonia Faleiro

Meet Sonia Faleiro, the globe trotting writer, award winning journalist and storyteller. She is the author of The Girl (Viking 2005), and a contributor to AIDS Sutra: Untold Stories from India (Random House, Vintage UK, Anchor Books US). Her nonfiction book on Bombay’s bar dancers will be published by Penguin in 2010. She has her website at www.soniafaleiro.com which has some interesting podcasts.

She blogs at http://soniafaleiro.blogspot.com/ and has a Jack Russel Terrier dog named  Zoey Faleiro-McKnight (See inset photo). “Faleiro from my mum, McKnight from my dad”, says Zoey on his blog. Sonia is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/soniafaleiro if you want to follow her. Read more

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