CONSULTANTS WHO LOVE CONSULTING – MOHAMED KARIM ASSIF, MSc, CMC, PMP
Q1 In brief, describe how you entered the profession of management consulting, or when did you decide that management consulting was a profession that you wanted to enter?
It wasn't a planned entry! After spending few years working in the IT industry, I started getting involved more and more to help management solve some of the critical business challenges related to functional areas of organization management: sales, strategic planning, finance, and HR.
Once I experienced the gratification and fulfillment that comes with that opportunity, I wanted to bring that experience to the next level by getting certified, taking on new challenges and connecting with a strong network of like-minded management consultants.
Q2 What do you love most about consulting?
There are many things that I love about being a consultant but what I love most is:
- The purpose of consulting: I love helping businesses solve their most critical challenges.
- The process of consulting: I have a passion for data and as a consultant, we have to gather, analyze, and synthesize a large amount of data. I love to make the data speak and get the organization to listen to it.
Q3 What do you like the least?
As part of my work, I had to visit many countries and was exposed to many cultures. The thing that I have noticed is that in many of those countries there is no independent body that regulates the profession. Luckily CMC is pushing hard to change this and to expand its services to more and more places!
Q4 What has been your most satisfying engagement and why?
In a recent engagement, I aimed to create a sales performance management system that supported business goal attainment and made it possible for sales management to predict future sales trends, build a stronger sales rep pipeline, and know when to intervene to make a positive difference.
The reason it was very satisfying was because I could see and measure the direct impact that the engagement had on key and intermediate sales performance indicators and this was within the first months after implementation.
Q5 What personality trait has helped you the most in your career?
Being adaptable has helped me to work and succeed in multiple geographies where people have different languages, backgrounds, and cultures.
Q6 Finally, if you were stranded on a desert island - What is one book and one luxury item you would take with you?
I will for sure look for a book describing how to survive on a desert island, as this will be the most precious asset in such a context!
The luxury item will be a nice yacht that I can use as shelter until a better solution is found.
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Visit Karim's LinkedIn Page to learn more.
