Consulting Demons: Inside the Unscrupulous World of Global Corporate Consulting
Author: Lewis Pinault
List Price: $17.00
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ISBN: 006661998X
Publisher: HarperCollins (04 December, 2001)
Sales Rank: 82,491
Average Customer Rating: 4.21 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 4 out of 5
I wish I had written this book!
I admire Mr. Pinault's courage to "burn the bridges", especially in the very secretive world of management consulting. I have been inside the private club of the Big Five in three different countries for seven years now, and I was amazed to see how much I could relate to Mr. Pinault's experiences. It is a fast-paced life, with a lot of fun and hard work, very talented young and ambitious people, and endless opportunities for learning good and bad things (specially lying). But as in Medicine sometimes, ethics are frequently twisted in search for easy money and a quick path to the top. Besides any orthographic errors, I think this book does a good job on exposing the dirty side of the business for both clients and consultants wanna-be. Consultants can be a valuable and necessary help in some cases, but clients need to make sure that they are in control, or they may become the next milking cows. For the MBAs out there, it is a good chance to loose your innocence, because the glamour comes for a hefty price on your values and personal life. First question to make yourself: "what makes me a this Big Time Consultant (as the partner made clients believe that I am), only a week after I joined the firm?" Let me know if you find the answer...
Rating: 3 out of 5
B2B or B2C: Is that the only question?
In this personal account of his journey through the world of management consulting, former management consultant Lewis Pinault explains why more than a decade of consulting experience drove him to finally revert to his original career dreams and training in space science. Although his tales of questionable business ethics, grueling work schedules, and a fast-paced jet-setting lifestyle, seem almost by design to deliver a grim picture of this industry, they may remain the least of factors which either deter or attract young aspirants to the entry and higher ranks of this trade, just as similarly scathing insider reviews of investment banking paradoxically became marketing tools for that industry. There are many revealing, if often unflattering anecdotes in this book, including one related to management guru C. K. Prahalad, co-author of Competing for the Future, which I have also reviewed on this website. And there is some wisdom to be gained from reading this book cover to cover.
Rating: 3 out of 5
It's good but....
This book starts off really good with a great story about interviewing with a Consulting firm, but it ends up being a book about the author during his "glory days". It's interesting. Gives a few insights, but nothing earth-shattering is in this book. Buy it Used or check it out from the library! Similar Products
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