E-Paper
McKinsey partner flew across country every month to attend pooja with CEO, claims ex-employee
A former McKinsey associate revealed that a senior partner flew across the country every month just to attend a CEO’s pooja.
Will consulting jobs become another casualty of the AI wave? A former associate at McKinsey says no. In a LinkedIn blog post, Anirban Kundu argued that consultants do more than just provide research and recommendations – they act as guides, friends and confidants for CEOs.
To support his argument, Kundu presented the example of a senior partner at McKinsey who would fly across the country every month, just to attend the pooja organised by the CEO of a client firm.
Kundu spent a little over two years working for McKinsey & Company – one of the world’s oldest and largest management consulting firms. He says that during his time at McKinsey, he learned that consultants do more than just provide solutions, data and slide decks – they act as friends and guides to CEOs.
It’s lonely at the top
“A CEO's journey is deeply lonely—particularly when undertaking bold change. You can’t share everything with everyone,” wrote Kundu.
This is where consultants step in. According to the Bengaluru-based former McKinsey consultant, who has an MBA degree from the Indian School of Business, “true consulting is being the TAG team partner (Therapist, Ally, Guide) for the CEO”.
Kundu presented the example of the senior partner who would fly across the country every month just to sit in a pooja with a CEO. Or the case of the partner who became a “relationship advisor to a CEO going through a divorce”.
“Trust wasn’t built through slides or recommendations, but through the strength of companionship. No code can code this. That CEO is always going to come to you,” he said.
Kundu said that besides acting as therapists, consultants are also allies for CEOs. “Even the sharpest CEO can struggle to convince a skeptical board. That’s why CEOs need allies in the boardroom—people who can help push their agenda forward with credibility and conviction,” he explained in his blog post.
