Consultant on the Go

01 Jun 2004

Consultant on the Go

Re: Ram Charan (MBA 1965)

Topics: News-General Leadership-Leadership Development Management-General

Most business travelers breathe a sigh of relief when they return home, happy to unpack their suitcase and sleep in their own bed. Ram Charan (MBA ’65, DBA ’67) is not your typical business traveler. One of the “world’s most renowned management consultants and authors” (Fast Company, February 2004), Charan has a client list that includes many household names — DuPont, Ford, Universal Studios, and GE, to name a few — and ten books to his credit, including the top-selling Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done.

The unassuming Charan has spent the last quarter-century avoiding publicity and staying on task. While accumulating some 500,000 frequent-flier miles a year, Charan pursues his passion: helping executives solve problems. The northern India native would rather talk — in plain English — about how to break down organizational silos than about himself. He has no Web site, produces no marketing materials, and finds his clients the old-fashioned way: through word of mouth. Charan can rarely be found in his office in Dallas, where his two assistants organize his hectic schedule and FedEx him fresh changes of clothes.

For Charan, who has no family, working 365 days a year is no sacrifice. “I’m a lucky man. This is all vacation for me,” Charan told Fast Company. “If you love your job, this is the juice of life.”

Featured Alumni

Ram Charan

MBA 1965

Featured Alumni

Ram Charan

MBA 1965

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