My House of Lies
I have been reading House of Lies for the past 10 days. Reading this book was kinda like reading my life story (only professional) written by some guy who lives half way across the world. But, I couldn’t take the book with me when I was travelling for work (let me give the whole title and then you will understand House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time). I obviously cannot take such inflammatory content with me when I go to client locations. So, the first thing that I did after coming back home for the weekend was finish it off.
The thing about this book is that it underlines the things that people take for granted about consultants, like living in a fancy hotel room for most part of a week, dining in gourmet places (everyone thinks it’s great, you have your room service, great location, a pub just a floor below and most of all the you have your own goodies in a tiny refrigerator). But these things don’t matter because you are so tired by the end of the day; you just crash in a random bed and wake up at odd hours in the night because the AC almost always is too cold.
I was in Chennai for the whole of last week. I thought I would meet my friends, catch up with up. But, all I did was wake up at an ungodly hour every morning, rush to have a shoddy breakfast and sit in a conference with my laptop connected to the projector the whole day only to return to the hotel after 9 in the night. (I couldn’t even check my email!) And, if you know Chennai 9 is a little too late to go out anywhere because by the time you reach the restaurant they will be all set to close. So, I couldn't even meet all my friends.
In a way it’s a weird experience. I met so many people who live in a different, not-so-plastic world that I seem to occupy. I never know anything much about my co-workers because I never had enough time to spend with them in between all the travelling and them being closed mouthed about everything doesn’t help either. But these people from the client side were genuinely nice. They cared if I dint eat on time. If this was my office, people would just say “order a sandwich and have a working lunch”.
But, I cannot be friends with them because they are the “client”. It’s like transit; it not real because you can’t do anything there other than wait. I just move from one from one conference room to another. The worst part is that everyone expects you to be this person who is very good at what she does. It’s difficult to stay on for such a long period. You always have to sound intelligent; every time you talk you have to think twice because every one sitting there is going to judge you from the moment you walked into the room.
Now, I am in Mundra which is literally in the middle of nowhere. My hotel is on the edge of the town, there is nothing that looks remotely interesting and every time I walk into the client’s office, the people look at me as if I am an interloper who has come to get them all fired. It’s totally a new experience talking at hostile faces all day long. I guess it will make me deal with reality better (!)
The change that I wanted right now has been forced on me, so enjoying the cold cold hotel rooms with wifi (thank God for small favours)
The thing about this book is that it underlines the things that people take for granted about consultants, like living in a fancy hotel room for most part of a week, dining in gourmet places (everyone thinks it’s great, you have your room service, great location, a pub just a floor below and most of all the you have your own goodies in a tiny refrigerator). But these things don’t matter because you are so tired by the end of the day; you just crash in a random bed and wake up at odd hours in the night because the AC almost always is too cold.
I was in Chennai for the whole of last week. I thought I would meet my friends, catch up with up. But, all I did was wake up at an ungodly hour every morning, rush to have a shoddy breakfast and sit in a conference with my laptop connected to the projector the whole day only to return to the hotel after 9 in the night. (I couldn’t even check my email!) And, if you know Chennai 9 is a little too late to go out anywhere because by the time you reach the restaurant they will be all set to close. So, I couldn't even meet all my friends.
In a way it’s a weird experience. I met so many people who live in a different, not-so-plastic world that I seem to occupy. I never know anything much about my co-workers because I never had enough time to spend with them in between all the travelling and them being closed mouthed about everything doesn’t help either. But these people from the client side were genuinely nice. They cared if I dint eat on time. If this was my office, people would just say “order a sandwich and have a working lunch”.
But, I cannot be friends with them because they are the “client”. It’s like transit; it not real because you can’t do anything there other than wait. I just move from one from one conference room to another. The worst part is that everyone expects you to be this person who is very good at what she does. It’s difficult to stay on for such a long period. You always have to sound intelligent; every time you talk you have to think twice because every one sitting there is going to judge you from the moment you walked into the room.
Now, I am in Mundra which is literally in the middle of nowhere. My hotel is on the edge of the town, there is nothing that looks remotely interesting and every time I walk into the client’s office, the people look at me as if I am an interloper who has come to get them all fired. It’s totally a new experience talking at hostile faces all day long. I guess it will make me deal with reality better (!)
The change that I wanted right now has been forced on me, so enjoying the cold cold hotel rooms with wifi (thank God for small favours)
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