Why the basics matter more than you think

Entry roles are more competitive than ever and AI is rewriting the job description. The answer is to get the fundamentals right, fast. Here is what this blog is, what it is not, and how to use it.

On a warm April morning in 2017, I got my offer from Bain. I had just finished university; I felt like I had done it, and the path ahead looked clear. I started a few months later, bursting with everything my studies had taught me. It took about three weeks to understand that university had taught me almost nothing about how to be useful at work.

That gap is what this blog is about.

Entry roles are getting more competitive, and standing out is hard. But it is a steep cycle: the better you perform, the better the work you get, which accelerates how fast you learn, which makes you better. If you want to move quickly, you have to be intentional about improving from day one.

A dear friend and former Principal at BCG put it to me like this:

“There are many ways to be a great Associate. Some outshine others with the speed of their internal processor — their analytical capabilities are unmatched. Others are machines: they work efficiently, and their output is spotless. And then some are loved and appreciated by clients. It is as much a matter of capability as it is a thing of identity. Some people just put their clients into the centre of everything they do. And I would never make the mistake of underestimating those.”

So part of the work is finding your edge. But there is a floor beneath all those profiles, and the floor is the same for everyone.

Which brings us to the question I get asked most often at the moment: does any of this still matter when AI can draft the slide, write the formula and summarise the interview?

It matters more. When the mechanical part of the work gets cheaper, what is left is judgement, structure and trust. Those are exactly the things the basics build. If you want to differentiate yourself in this environment, double down on getting the fundamentals right fast:

•  Your analysis is sharp, on point and impactful.

•  Your communication is confident and clear.

•  Your work is flawless, structured and valuable.

•  You bring energy to the team and take work off your supervisor.

Do that consistently and every new tool multiplies you instead of replacing you.

There is a longer-term argument too. Most consultants do not stay in consulting forever. Whether you end up in private equity, a start-up or a corporate leadership role, these first years are where you build your ‘Arbeitsmethode’, your method of working. The ability to work with real efficiency, structure a messy problem, and communicate clearly to people who have thirty minutes and no patience. You build that once, early, and then you carry it for the rest of your career.

What this blog is

A practical companion for your first two years at work. It comes out of six years at Bain, from Associate Consultant to Senior Manager, and from training more than 80 associates and around 40 consultants along the way. In every one of those conversations I repeated the same handful of tricks, shortcuts and “here is how you avoid that next time.” At some point it seemed inefficient to keep saying it out loud, so I wrote it down.

It was written for consultants at MBB, Big 4 and boutique firms, but a large part of it applies well beyond that. Personal development, error-free work, productivity and business communication are relevant to almost anyone who produces work that other people depend on. Where a post is consulting-only, I will say so in the first line so you can skip it.

What it is not

It is not a guide on how to break into consulting. It will not teach you to crack a case interview or craft the perfect CV. There are plenty of good books for that, and I happily recommend Case in Point by Marc Cosentino as the classic.

It is not the universal truth on consulting. Every firm, team and manager works differently. What you read here worked for me and for many people I coached. Take it on a test drive. If something does not fit how you work, do it your way.

It is not a complete answer to anything. On most topics it is a starting point and a way to get a feel for what is out there. Where it matters, I point you to people who have gone deeper.

How it will run

Two posts a week, and they come in two shapes.

Tuesdays are concept posts. One complete idea, worked through properly: what the problem is, why the obvious approach fails, the method that works, and how to start running it this week. These run longer, five to eight minutes, because a concept cut in half is a concept you cannot use.

Thursdays are hacks. One tactic, two minutes, apply it today. A keyboard habit, an Outlook setting, a rule about when to press send.

Posts are grouped into series (error-free work, problem solving, communication, clients, career) and you can read them in any order. Where a concept matters in two places, I repeat it rather than send you hunting. The examples are real; where a story is not mine, it is attributed, and I will not invent anecdotes to make a point land better.

One last thing, and I mean it more than the rest. Those first years fly past. They are intense and stressful and also genuinely joyful. Do not get so focused on being great that you miss everything else about them. The presentation that feels like the end of the world today will be forgotten in a month. The mistake keeping you up tonight becomes a dinner story. They rarely make hiring mistakes, even when you feel like the exception.

You do not get to skip the basics because the tools got better. You have to compound them faster.