"Are you a warrior?" is a question I’ve been asking myself at least once a week for the past year. It’s the theme of a workout I started that includes close to 100 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 50 plyometric lunges and 4 x 400-meter sprints. As you can imagine it’s a pretty challenging workout that usuall [Read More]
Every fall and spring I get a call from an unknown number starting with the area code "517." It takes me a moment but as soon as I answer and hear that nervous young voice asking for "Mr. Markou" I immediately recognize it as a student from my alma mater, Michigan State University (MSU), calling to [Read More]
Work-life balance is the term used to describe the proportion of time we allocate to our careers versus other aspects of our lives such as personal interests, family, social or leisure activities. Whether you are just beginning your career or a seasoned executive, it’s hard to escape the mantra that [Read More]
It was 6:00 AM on May 22nd, 2017 and I was out of bed before the alarm had begun ringing. On most days I hit snooze once or twice, but not today. Today was the first day of my internship at Quicken Loans, the largest mortgage lender in the country. It had been five months since I had signed my accep [Read More]
One morning, after returning from a week in Las Vegas for a big event, I had an epiphany; it was time for me to start my own business. It was the calling I had longed for since my days as a neighborhood door-to-door saleskid. I’ve always had the entrepreneurial spark. Growing up, I was master of le [Read More]
I love this time of year. This is about the time when many of our new hires start their careers and begin the transition from smart, ambitious college students to smart, ambitious management consultants. I also love this time of year because it means lots of introductory phone calls from our new hir [Read More]
Below is a speech I gave to the Kelley School of Business MBA Consulting Academy for their induction ceremony on September 16, 2016. The speech is titled "Discovering Your Purpose." Good evening and thank you for being here tonight. It’s always a pleasure returning to campus and spending time with a [Read More]
2016 is an end of era for me. After nearly a decade of teaching in the Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) program at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business I have decided 2016 year will be my last year at the podium of the IT Governance, Risk and Controls (IT GRC) course. Since [Read More]
The only thing worse than painstakingly creating a complicated business deliverable – be it a deck, a report or a financial model – is doing it on a projector or TV in front of your colleagues or clients. “Can we center that text? Is that box vertically aligned in the middle?” “Is that Arial? I thi [Read More]
It is the day after the horrific attacks in Paris and the world is in shock. Paris holds a special place in my heart as I lived and worked there for a few months many years ago. I loved my time in Paris; the city oozes beauty, love, and dancing lights. Working in Paris, it was obvious to me that the [Read More]
I have a bit of a reputation as a travel pack-rat. I tend to pack for every possible contingency. Not so long ago, I couldn't bear the thought of carrying on my luggage for fear I would miss some precious toiletry or outfit combination. After multiple instances of lost luggage and missed meetings, [Read More]
One of the most commonly asked questions I get from students, colleagues and mentees is: “Should I pursue my MBA?” Like most questions in life that start with the phrase “should I…,” the answer I give is typically: “Well, that depends…” :) Some people pursue an MBA to further their knowledge as a [Read More]
It's that time of year again! Campus interview season. Well, truthfully I'm not sure when it isn't interview season anymore. Summer maybe? That aside...interviews can be stressful and take up a good deal of candidate "gut share" as they jockey for coveted internships and full-time positions in a [Read More]
A good resume can be your business calling card and should convey your experience and expertise to others. I've reviewed hundreds of student and experienced professional resumes and it always amazes me what people accomplish throughout their careers. Yet often times the format of the resume fights [Read More]
A few weeks back I put the call out for any interns willing to share advice from their internship and one of my students, Gloria Chan, answered the call. On an "Awesome Scale" of 1-to-10, Gloria is a 14. Why 14? Gloria's energy and positive attitude is infectious. In my class, she approached every c [Read More]
Anthony Weiner. Bruce Levenson. Donald Sterling. What do all these people have in common? They have all made headlines recently as a result of inappropriate behavior that revealed poor judgement, moral shortcomings, inner biases or downright bigotry. But in each instance, their behavior was conducte [Read More]
I would venture a guess that the single most asked question in the month of October (other than "Trick or Treat?" of course) is: "Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?" Last week I attended my annual ritual kick-off of events on campus meeting students and getting to know the incoming c [Read More]
The Hybrid Roles of Lawyers and Consultants in the 21st Century The following article is a guest blog by Matthew Brockmeier. Matthew is a consultant (and an attorney) for Optimity Advisors based in Washington, D.C. Click here to read more about Matthew. Technological advances and financial forces c [Read More]
Ahhh summertime… The beach, the sun and no responsibility until the September start of the semester, right? Wrong… Years ago, campus recruiting began around October when companies came to schools in droves of career fairs and info sessions. It was a veritable career buffet of choices all laid be [Read More]
One of my favorite places on earth is Maui. I'm not sure if it's the sun, ocean, humpback whales birthing/mating or just the constant island reggae, but whatever it is, Maui has a way of melting away the stress and the cares of the world. No trip to Maui would be complete without the obligatory tri [Read More]
