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The MECE Muse: 100+ Selected Practices, Unwritten Rules, and Habits of Great Consultants
Christie Lindor is once again an award winning author! Her book, “The MECE Muse” is an Award-Winning Finalist in the Careers category of the 2018 Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest! Award-Winner in the Careers category of the 2018 International Book Awards 2018 International Book Awards “The MECE Muse is a 2018 Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Winner in the Non-Fiction - Business/Finance genre.” Award-Winner in the Careers category of the 2018 International Book Awards The MECE Muse is a Bronze Winner of the 2017 Wishing Shelf Independent Book Award and a playbook of how you too can become a great world-class business consultant! Great consultants possess a je ne sais quoi that are equal parts confidence, passion, technical acumen, purpose, and charisma. Great consultants are authentically imperfect; they take life by the reins and forge ahead with certainty no matter how complex a situation is, in an almost effortless way. Great consultants are humble yet make everyone around them step their game up. Great consultants take care of their people. Clients thank good consultants; clients are wowed by great consultants. Management consultant Christie Lindor has quietly been on a mission to be the mentor she wishes she had earlier in her consulting career. With 15+ years of experience working at top management consulting firms, Christie is now sharing secrets of great consultants in this new consulting business book. Christie conducted research by connecting with over 50 top consulting partners across 27 consulting organizations on what makes a great consultant, including thought leadership from 8 out of the top 10 consulting firms in the world. The MECE Muse is an insider's guide to consulting, providing invaluable insights and practical knowledge including unwritten rules, career strategies, in addition to interviews from top industry consulting leaders who relate their personal experiences and offer unique perspectives on building and maintaining a successful consulting career. What you learn from The MECE Muse, an insider’s guide to great consulting Secrets and stories from 50+ top consulting partners across 27 professional services organizations on how to be a great management consultant A historical primer of profession and skills you need for consulting of the future either working for yourself or working at top management consulting firms Why being ambitious and working hard is not enough to succeed in consulting Top ways you can hurt your personal brand without even realizing it How to become a trusted advisor for your clients Why you need a consulting career toolkit and how to build one whether you are in management consulting or an independent consultant How to create & sustain habits, skills, and experiences to become a great business consultant Purchase The MECE Muse because it is an insider's guide to consulting, providing you with invaluable insights and practical knowledge including unwritten rules and career strategies on building and maintaining a successful consulting career.
- GenresNonfiction
367 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 21, 2018
25 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 6, 2020
the perfect read for a college student interested in consulting...
or someone thinking of it, branching out or is curious about it...
it has a lot of info about the subject from author experience plus others that she was inspired or learned about it...
or someone thinking of it, branching out or is curious about it...
it has a lot of info about the subject from author experience plus others that she was inspired or learned about it...
February 8, 2018
‘Develop the skill of constant adaptive execution.’
Massachusetts author Christie Lindor, a highly respected management consultant, focuses on all things transformational, specializing in partnering with both private and public sector clients to harness the power of authenticity in organizational change with such consulting firms as Deloitte Consulting LLP and IBM Business Consulting Services. She earned her B.S. in marketing & computer science from Bentley University and an M.S. in organizational leadership from Mercy College, and now is a certified project manager and facilitator
One question that for those not in the consulting field may have concerns the meaning of the title – MECE stands for Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive. Or as Christie explains in her Introduction, ‘The MECE rule is consulting lingo and for many management consultants a way of being. MECE describes a technique on how business problems are visualized and understood in order to solve the root cause. When applying the MECE rule, information is grouped logically into distinct categories without any overlap (mutually exclusive). All categories added together cover all possible options (collectively exhaustive) then explored through the process of elimination based on data collected and insights gathered.’
In the manner of writing this rather extraordinarily complete guide Christie quotes others and offers real time examples of her précis, such as this definition form a colleague as to the definition of a consultant – “I usually use the analogy of a business doctor when people ask me what I do. It’s kind of daunting to describe our work. Strategy consultant, what does that mean? I help diagnose problems just like a doctor would. I start out with a full examination and help provide a path forward to remedy the problem. Things like preventive maintenance to have that patient not land in the hospital again.”She proceeds to offer the goad of a business consultant – ‘1. Become a trusted advisor who is to be called upon at any time to help leaders shape strategic decisions to address complex business problems within their organizations. 2. Create value-added impact to a client’s career, team, department, division, or company through influencing, advising, designing, implementing, or supporting business recommendations in a way that empowers clients to stand on their own. 3. Constantly create relationships, make decisions, build experiences, sustain networks, develop skills, leverage tools, reinforce habits, and share knowledge to do steps 1 and 2 phenomenally well.’
For practiced consultants and those preparing for the field Christie divides her instruction into three sections – The mindset of great consultants, Performance and conditioning of great consultants, and Reflections of a consulting career. To cap her instruction she offers the MECE Muse Manifesto - 1. It’s always personal in business. 2. Create good consulting karma every day. 3. Get out of your own way.4. Create a fulfilling, rewarding, and sustainable consulting career. 5. It’s not about being right but about being effective. 6. Take ownership and accountability of your career. 7. Step up to a higher standard. 8. Once you find a like tribe you love, stay put. 9. Develop and execute basic habits remarkably well. 10. Be empathically inclusive and compassionate to others. 11. Embrace authenticity as a competitive advantage. and 12. Make a conscious choice to be great.
A full plate of information offered in an accessible and dignified yet entertaining fashion – just like the great consultant Christie Lindor is!
Massachusetts author Christie Lindor, a highly respected management consultant, focuses on all things transformational, specializing in partnering with both private and public sector clients to harness the power of authenticity in organizational change with such consulting firms as Deloitte Consulting LLP and IBM Business Consulting Services. She earned her B.S. in marketing & computer science from Bentley University and an M.S. in organizational leadership from Mercy College, and now is a certified project manager and facilitator
One question that for those not in the consulting field may have concerns the meaning of the title – MECE stands for Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive. Or as Christie explains in her Introduction, ‘The MECE rule is consulting lingo and for many management consultants a way of being. MECE describes a technique on how business problems are visualized and understood in order to solve the root cause. When applying the MECE rule, information is grouped logically into distinct categories without any overlap (mutually exclusive). All categories added together cover all possible options (collectively exhaustive) then explored through the process of elimination based on data collected and insights gathered.’
In the manner of writing this rather extraordinarily complete guide Christie quotes others and offers real time examples of her précis, such as this definition form a colleague as to the definition of a consultant – “I usually use the analogy of a business doctor when people ask me what I do. It’s kind of daunting to describe our work. Strategy consultant, what does that mean? I help diagnose problems just like a doctor would. I start out with a full examination and help provide a path forward to remedy the problem. Things like preventive maintenance to have that patient not land in the hospital again.”She proceeds to offer the goad of a business consultant – ‘1. Become a trusted advisor who is to be called upon at any time to help leaders shape strategic decisions to address complex business problems within their organizations. 2. Create value-added impact to a client’s career, team, department, division, or company through influencing, advising, designing, implementing, or supporting business recommendations in a way that empowers clients to stand on their own. 3. Constantly create relationships, make decisions, build experiences, sustain networks, develop skills, leverage tools, reinforce habits, and share knowledge to do steps 1 and 2 phenomenally well.’
For practiced consultants and those preparing for the field Christie divides her instruction into three sections – The mindset of great consultants, Performance and conditioning of great consultants, and Reflections of a consulting career. To cap her instruction she offers the MECE Muse Manifesto - 1. It’s always personal in business. 2. Create good consulting karma every day. 3. Get out of your own way.4. Create a fulfilling, rewarding, and sustainable consulting career. 5. It’s not about being right but about being effective. 6. Take ownership and accountability of your career. 7. Step up to a higher standard. 8. Once you find a like tribe you love, stay put. 9. Develop and execute basic habits remarkably well. 10. Be empathically inclusive and compassionate to others. 11. Embrace authenticity as a competitive advantage. and 12. Make a conscious choice to be great.
A full plate of information offered in an accessible and dignified yet entertaining fashion – just like the great consultant Christie Lindor is!
February 23, 2018
Christie Lindor has written MECE Muse: 100+Selected Practices, Unwritten Rules, and Habits of Great Consultants. This is clearly for 'consultants' but after reading through it, this book lays out some great rules for just getting along with people, connecting, and being present in relationships. I will admit to going in with a sense that this was just another book detailing how to fool people into thinking you care in order to get as much money as possible from them; brown nosing, sucking up... whatever you want to label it as. And it is, kind of. I mean the very first thing you read is about how a client gets irate and throws things at a consultant and the author paints it like the tantrum throwing executive was a victim of shoddy preparations by the consultant. That crap doesn't fly with kids in my house and it has no place in the professional world, period. However, if you keep reading, this also has a real genuinity to it. The advice is precise and logical. Everyone from PTA moms to CEOs can get something from MECE Muse.
February 12, 2018
Excellent source for consultants.
The Mece Muse by Christie Lindor is a wonderfully well written book that will help you learn how to be a successful consultant. Lindsor address’s many different aspects of the consultation industry. I feel like this book would be a valuable tool for not only those new to the consultant world but it could bring new perspective to even those who have been in the industry for awhile. Lindsor couples her own real life experiences with interviews from other consultants and does an excellent job of providing reliable and valuable information in an organized and useful manner. As an informative book goes, a new or seasoned consultant would easily find this this book valuable to keep on their book shelf and refer back to on a regular basis to stay fresh.
I think it would even be a good book for anyone who have a need to use a consultant to understand the information they receive easier.
The Mece Muse by Christie Lindor is a wonderfully well written book that will help you learn how to be a successful consultant. Lindsor address’s many different aspects of the consultation industry. I feel like this book would be a valuable tool for not only those new to the consultant world but it could bring new perspective to even those who have been in the industry for awhile. Lindsor couples her own real life experiences with interviews from other consultants and does an excellent job of providing reliable and valuable information in an organized and useful manner. As an informative book goes, a new or seasoned consultant would easily find this this book valuable to keep on their book shelf and refer back to on a regular basis to stay fresh.
I think it would even be a good book for anyone who have a need to use a consultant to understand the information they receive easier.
February 10, 2018
This book by Christie Lindor is a helpful one containing numerous tips as to how you can be successful as a consultant. It’s a great guide that touches on many different areas of this field to help you learn how to succeed in it. You’ll be able to see how you can balance your life as a consultant and special practices and tips you can use with your consulting business like how you can best use your language and speech to get messages across and how to properly shake people’s hands. The back of the book also includes some special resources you can use to further your knowledge in this field with book, website, and podcast recommendations.
At 357 pages, it might be a little bit of a long read for some, but it’s packed with vital information that all business owners and those looking to become consultants should read. Overall, it’s a very helpful book that offers great tips.
At 357 pages, it might be a little bit of a long read for some, but it’s packed with vital information that all business owners and those looking to become consultants should read. Overall, it’s a very helpful book that offers great tips.
February 14, 2018
If you want to be a consultant, hire one, or just become a better person then these tips are probably right up your alley. The author has come up with so many great practices that will make your more attentive and kinder, and may even help out your ability to be more patient when necessary. I loved that the author doesn’t just approach these skills from a professional standpoint, but also adds in a touch of philosophy and psychology to add even more insight to some of the lessons. I found this book to be very helpful and plan on referencing it in the future. The author definitely seems to know her stuff and has clear writing that isn’t hard to adapt to your daily practices. You will certainly get a lot out of this book if you’re looking to improve on social skills, so don’t think twice about reading it slowly to retain as much as possible.
March 12, 2018
One thing I am always looking for is sound advice in the career world. Being a young adult, focus and goals are very important, but I get so many different opinions. Our author Christie Lindor has so many different approaches, it’s near impossible to not relate to as least one.
Now this book’s advice is somewhat geared towards the advertising industry, but I think you can “tweak” it a little to fit your needs and goals. I love that the author also has hands on experience, so she knows what she is talking about.
This is one of those books I keep on my desk or in my book bag. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone who had their mind set on greener pastures but needs a little guidance.
Now this book’s advice is somewhat geared towards the advertising industry, but I think you can “tweak” it a little to fit your needs and goals. I love that the author also has hands on experience, so she knows what she is talking about.
This is one of those books I keep on my desk or in my book bag. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone who had their mind set on greener pastures but needs a little guidance.
February 8, 2018
A consultants guide to success
This book is written to assist consultants in the methods of being or becoming successful in the fields of choice. Consulting is more work than it appears to be a and requires a certain skill set to excel. This book will help to guide you through the proper choices in today's market. A must have for veteran and novice alike. Check this one out and you won't be disappointed.
This book is written to assist consultants in the methods of being or becoming successful in the fields of choice. Consulting is more work than it appears to be a and requires a certain skill set to excel. This book will help to guide you through the proper choices in today's market. A must have for veteran and novice alike. Check this one out and you won't be disappointed.
February 13, 2018
The MECE Muse is an informative book on being an ace consultant. The author Christie Lindor gives motivation for being a top consultant who would deal directly with top bosses and would ease all the problems of their clients with homework and market research. The author shares many anecdotes and personal experiences apart from interviews and market data to put across the point. The book is academic in nature but written in simple language which any layman could easily understand.
June 26, 2018
A very informative book about the consulting industry and a good read for anyone new to the field. It was a good reminder to me to focus on the people and the soft skills rather than the tasks and deadlines. This book brought insight and understanding into what it's like to be a consultant along with tips to help the reader thrive in the profession.
December 30, 2020
I really enjoyed reading The Mece Muse. The book distills consulting insights, anecdotes, and best practices and provides lessons learned for aspiring consultants. It include insights from Partners and distinguished consultants and provides tips on how to succeed in consulting.
September 11, 2021
Understand the good habits one has to adopt to excel in professions, not only consulting. Path in consulting is not always a straight path to climb the hierarchy ladder. Consulting is a life full of compromise that one has to love to survive. The book lacks depth, but has good starting pointers.
October 17, 2018
I'm not a primary audience of this book, as it is aimed at graduates thinking about going into consulting. Funny reading, but not quite technical - more about a lifestyle of consultants.
October 26, 2019
If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be this: Insightful.
I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this book; I didn't have much knowledge about the consulting profession and I thought this book would make a good introduction, if nothing else. Well, it gave me more than an introduction.
Even though I have nothing really to do with consulting, this book is full of valuable wisdom to all business-related professions, and as a business major myself, I personally found it very relatable and practical. Her advice is always hands-on. For instance, when she talks about maintaining a handy toolkit, she follows the discussion with how to store the toolkit, what to put in it, and then an interview with a partner where she reveals how he maintains his toolkit. It's three dimensional, no-nonsense, real advice.
The writing! It's great, she writes with a distinct voice, and I felt that this personal element in the book gave it a level of depth; and I can really appreciate that. It keeps you reading, and unlike other informational, non-fiction books I've read, I didn't have to stop after every few paragraphs to make sense of long and winding, important-sounding sentences. Everything makes sense, the readability is perfect, and the book is filled with convenient diagrams. The format, too, is brilliant. She highlights important text, wherever she sees fit, so you can catch them if you're skimming through, or if you just want to go over the main points as reference in the future, and I found that very useful. From start to finish, she is making consistent points, and she brings everything together so well in her conclusion. At this point, I feel like I'm fan-girling!
To conclude, I will say that this book is an indispensable handbook for all those looking into consulting or developing in their consulting career or deciding whether to stay in consulting or move on. And then, just a really good read for everyone else!
I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this book; I didn't have much knowledge about the consulting profession and I thought this book would make a good introduction, if nothing else. Well, it gave me more than an introduction.
Even though I have nothing really to do with consulting, this book is full of valuable wisdom to all business-related professions, and as a business major myself, I personally found it very relatable and practical. Her advice is always hands-on. For instance, when she talks about maintaining a handy toolkit, she follows the discussion with how to store the toolkit, what to put in it, and then an interview with a partner where she reveals how he maintains his toolkit. It's three dimensional, no-nonsense, real advice.
The writing! It's great, she writes with a distinct voice, and I felt that this personal element in the book gave it a level of depth; and I can really appreciate that. It keeps you reading, and unlike other informational, non-fiction books I've read, I didn't have to stop after every few paragraphs to make sense of long and winding, important-sounding sentences. Everything makes sense, the readability is perfect, and the book is filled with convenient diagrams. The format, too, is brilliant. She highlights important text, wherever she sees fit, so you can catch them if you're skimming through, or if you just want to go over the main points as reference in the future, and I found that very useful. From start to finish, she is making consistent points, and she brings everything together so well in her conclusion. At this point, I feel like I'm fan-girling!
To conclude, I will say that this book is an indispensable handbook for all those looking into consulting or developing in their consulting career or deciding whether to stay in consulting or move on. And then, just a really good read for everyone else!
April 23, 2022
4/5 This is something very very specific. If you're interested in becoming a consultant, especially aiming for corporate consulting, this book is kinda like a bible you should go take a look at.
It included many interviews with experienced consultants from the big consulting companies and has some great advice.
I think it is sliiightly outdated and needs a 2020+ update with new networking structures and social media marketing. Still a great book for aspiring consultants like myself.
It included many interviews with experienced consultants from the big consulting companies and has some great advice.
I think it is sliiightly outdated and needs a 2020+ update with new networking structures and social media marketing. Still a great book for aspiring consultants like myself.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews