When one thinks of management consultants, one inevitably thinks of highly efficient workers. This is because an efficient way of working is essential as a management consultant. Only those who work efficiently are able to complete all tasks within the limited time available, satisfy their supervisors as well as clients, and get enough sleep on top of it.
So, the crucial question is, how do you become an efficient worker to withstand the time pressure in a management consultancy?
When you think of an efficient worker, you probably imagine of a person who works quickly. A person who works on several tasks simultaneously. A person who works 24/7. A person who does not take breaks. A person who sleeps only 5-6 hours. A person who does not waste time on other issues. In short, you think of a person that is fairly stressed.
Now let me tell you that you can work highly efficiently without being stressed. That you can work highly efficiently while taking breaks. That you can work highly efficiently while enjoying your work. The key is not to work faster, but to work in the right way.
Efficient workers have two main tools. A pen, and a blank sheet of paper. This might sound so simple that you may not even believe it but bear with me for a second. The key is the use the paper and the pen to structure the problem. Simple as that. Often when you get a new task and want to work through it efficiently, you will be tempted to immediately start working on the solution. This may work for simple tasks, but as soon as the task gets a bit more complex, this way of working will cost you an enormous amount of time. Far too often, we work immediately on the problem and then realize after a certain time that we have not really understood the problem and that the current solution is more or less useless. This can be compared with a marathon runner. Do you think he would just start running if he didn’t know in what direction the finish line was? Probably not.
Start by writing down the problem. Try to understand the issue at hand and identify potential solutions. When you think you’ve found a good solution, outline that solution. Start with simple bullet points and see if anything is still unclear. Work your way from small to large, noting down questions and ambiguities. Only when you think you have a suitable roadmap for your solution, start transferring this solution into PowerPoint, Word or Excel. For example, imagine your boss wants you to create an Excel spreadsheet in which you calculate a business case for the next 5 years. The first reflex is to open Excel and start working immediately. In nine out of ten cases, however, you will realize after some time that you are absolutely on the wrong track. So, take a blank sheet of paper, a pencil and start thinking about how to approach the problem first. What exactly should you do? How will you get there? What information are you missing? What value drivers do you need to pay attention to? What difficulties might you face? How can you map it all out? Sketch everything and get an overview. Only then should you get started and transfer the solution into an Excel spreadsheet.
“Wait a moment, I already know this approach. This is exactly how I solve my case interviews.” That is correct and certainly not a coincidence. Only those who work efficiently stand a chance of solving complex case interviews within the given time. Do you think the number of cases solved would be high without writing down a structure beforehand and trying to understand the problem? So why would you do it differently when facing a real problem? A quote from a former boss of mine still sticks in my memory to this day. “Whether I start a task by structuring everything on a sheet of paper determines whether I’m in bed at 11pm or 1am.” Personally, I like being in bed at 11pm, but of course that’s up to you to decide. However, it becomes more severe when you have to meet a hard deadline by midnight. In that case, a simple pen and paper will decide your performance on the project and in the long run whether you stay in the company.
If you’re still a little sceptical, try this approach on your next assignment. Whether it’s at university, at work, or in your personal life, you’ll quickly see how helpful it is. The best part? You’ll increase your efficiency and free time as well as reducing your stress levels. Take one guess as to what my approach to this blog post was. I’ll just say pen and paper. I used the first 15 minutes to structure the content and to realize where the text was still a bit bumpy. Only after it was clear to me how the text should be structured and how I wanted to address the different topics did I start to write the text while using the bullet points on my paper as the outline.
Till Margraf is in his late 20s and an enthusiastic consultant at Roland Berger. After studying business administration in Cologne, he completed the CEMS Master in International Management in Lisbon. In his free time, Till enjoys sports and going out into nature.
Image: Pexels
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One reply on “How a Pen and a Sheet of Paper Make You an Efficient Consultant”
Thanks for sharing such an amazing and interesting blog. This is good for those who are trying to make their career and become successful in this field. Keep up sharing such helpful blogs.