Catching up with Adarsh; Operations Consultant at Mckinsey & Company

In this series of catching up, get to know Adarsh Raja; Operations Consultant at Mckinsey & Company. Adarsh shared with the team at TheTechNative on his consulting journey, his exciting projects on intelligent supply chains, and tips for those who are pursuing consulting careers.

TTN: Hey Adarsh, tell us about yourself and what you are currently doing!

Adarsh: I’m Adarsh, an operations consultant from McKinsey & Company, predominantly working on digital transformation projects in the Manufacturing and Supply Chain (MSC) industry.

I am passionate about helping people excel in both their personal and professional lives. This fits right into the work I do because I help clients move towards their individual goals and objectives.

TTN: That's amazing, did you always know that you were going to pursue a career in consulting?

Adarsh: I’ve always been keen to understand and help navigate challenges people were facing. During my time in school and national service (national service is a system of compulsory military service in Singapore), I have always had people consult me on situations they face and asked for potential solutions. While I did not have all the answers at that point in time, I would strive to provide them with a different perspective, helping them break down the problem and work collaboratively with them to derive a solution. The problems I worked on varied from things like how could we ensure that our school club funds could grow to meet tier-based requirements, to helping my friends come up with a good confession plan for their crush (these problems were tackled to varying degrees of success, unfortunately).

Despite so, all these experiences gave me a taste of problem structuring, stakeholder management and problem-solving. As I grew, I was able to develop a knack for being able to break down bigger and seemingly daunting tasks into smaller doable deliverables. Given this development in skill set, I thought consulting would be a great place for me to start out. In hindsight, I would have loved to pursue a career as a professional football player (which failed, unfortunately).

TTN: I am sure that you are finding the consulting scene a little similar to the dynamics of a football match sometimes! What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced as a consultant?

Adarsh: Client handling is a big challenge that one has to learn and overcome as a consultant. Client handling is not just about problem-solving, but about how one is able to manage client relationships and expectations. How should we treat them so that they treat us with the same respect? How should we communicate with them so they understand exactly what we are saying? Unfortunately, client stakeholder management skillsets are not something that traditional schools teach or emphasize. Typically, consultants face an initial steep learning curve. Despite so, observing other tenured consultants can allow you to pick up several dos and don'ts and figure out what your best approach is - everyone eventually lands on one.

TTN: I am sure a career in consulting has many troughs and peaks. Can you share with us what is the most fulfilling thing about being a consultant?

Adarsh: It is incredibly satisfying to see clients get excited about the recommendations you make, be inclined to your point of view, and trust to work with you to take the next step towards their success. It’s rewarding to bring new insights and solutions to problems faced and have clients respond positively to them.

TTN: Can you share with us some of the most interesting Industry 4.0 projects that you worked on before?

Adarsh: COVID-19 has brought its fair share of challenges to various supply chains. From material shortages to blocked canals, it was difficult for industries to manage operations under these circumstances. What we are doing now is creating a digital ecosystem for our clients, to rethink/ reimagine their supply chain. The Supply Chain of the future needs to be integrated digitally, resilient to future disruptions and above all sustainable.

TTN: Before we go, what are some tips you would give to graduates/mid-career professionals who wish to pursue a career in consulting?

Adarsh: It is always good to spend time developing well-informed opinions after receiving insights from different people. Beyond the problem-solving aspect as a core skill to have, it will be advantageous to build up a strong communication stakeholder management and leadership skill set. While these soft skills might not be taught in schools, these are a must-have to perform well in the consulting industry.

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