The IT Department is Dead. All Hail the Digital Enterprise!
In many companies, the IT department and its business counterparts just do not get along. In companies like these, when you want to do something with data and/or technology, you have to patiently stand in line and wait for your turn. Your request - be it a new website, new infrastructure, or applica [Read More]
Don’t Forget These “Four Gets” When You Start Your Job
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]
Discovering Your Purpose
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]
Time Management Ain’t Easy
A few months ago - April 14th, 2016 to be exact - I received a very nice note from a former student. It read: Good morning Justin, I am ardent follower of your blog - Art of Advice. We all in consulting look at you like super human when it comes to time management and productivity. You are managing [Read More]
Passing the Podium
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]
Activating the Digital Enterprise
The following article is co-authored with Keith Strier, Advisory Principal at EY. Click here to read more about Keith. Deployments are dead. The notion that implementations are a singular, pivotal, one-time event is over. Welcome to the “Age of Activation.” But what do we mean when we say “activatio [Read More]
Using Technology to Close the Global Education Gap
Hobbies are funny things. Some people do jigsaw puzzles or collect stamps; I like to build things that solve problems. I’m a tinkerer of sorts: one part developer, one part designer and a pinch "mad scientist." One problem I have seen in my lifetime is the inequity of a good education - not only in [Read More]
Do Your Job as if Someone is Watching
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]
I Have Seen the Future, and it is Bright!
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]
Remembering Dizzy: Wonderdog Extraordinaire!
On October 18, 2015 my wife Katharine and I lost our little dog of thirteen years, Dizzy. Dizzy was so much more than a dog to us; she was our little baby, affectionately called our “dog-ter.” You may remember Dizzy from the article I wrote about her last year where I distilled a few business true-i [Read More]
The Meaning of (Digital) Life
"Digital. Now, what exactly is that?" I deal with this question more times than I care to admit. Whether explaining to my mom what I do every day or conversing with clients about their portal and collaboration challenges, the word "digital" seems to be sprouting up more and more in all of our daily [Read More]
The Things We Carry
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]
To MBA or Not to MBA
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]
The Method to Creative Madness
Where do creative and innovative ideas come from? Is it a process or does a flash of inspiration strike some unsuspecting brainstormer in a moment of utter clarity? One day my wife, Katharine (Kat), brought home an interesting drawing from one of her colleagues, Lucy Flanagan, that explored her own [Read More]
Flexibility Ain’t Easy
The idea of “flexibility” has become a proud flag flown atop just about every company in corporate America. But what is flexibility? In my mind, flexibility is placing value on the needs of your team and employees and recognizing that those needs must be balanced with the needs of the company/projec [Read More]
Passive Aggression: Ebola of the Workplace
I apologize for the delay in this week's article but it required some deep psychological research into the bowels of the human psyche. Last week I received an anonymous email through the website that read like this: Hello - I am a regular reader of The Art of Advice and I thought I'd pose the follo [Read More]
The War on “Busy”-ness
It’s no wonder we call it “Business,” though more often than not, it should be "busy-ness." Ask any business-person “how are you doing?” or “how’s it going?” and most will respond with “busy.” The word “busy” is an empty yet powerfully addictive word. Its use has become a reflex for many people and [Read More]
Ace of Case: How to Conquer Your Case Interview
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]
The Twelve Principles of Cybersecurity Warfare
The following is a collaborative article with Brian Kelly, Chief Security Officer at Rackspace in San Antonio, TX. All views are in this article are attributable to Justin and Brian and do not represent the views of Rackspace or any other company. Introduction Several years ago, Justin and I had a c [Read More]
The Wonderful World of CES
The following article is a guest blog by Katharine Greis. Katharine is Vice President of Business Development and Event Production at Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG). The opinions expressed within this article are her own and do not in any way reflect those of SMG, their affiliates or partners. CES is [Read More]
