Inspirational Quotes by Marvin Bower (American Business Consultant)

Marvin Bower (1903–2003) was an American business theorist and management consultant. This founder of McKinsey & Company, the world’s most prestigious consulting firm, turned consultancy from a business into a profession.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Bower earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics and Psychology from Brown University in 1925 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1928. After studying at Harvard Law School, he applied to work for a law firm in Cleveland, but his grades were not good enough. He attended Harvard Business School, earned an MBA, and returned to a job with the law firm as a corporate lawyer.

In 1933, Bower was hired by James O. McKinsey in the new Chicago firm of James O. McKinsey & Company to manage a newly acquired branch in New York. After McKinsey’s death, Bower helped rebuild the company around its New York operation. Bower established McKinsey & Company in 1939, serving as its managing director 1950–67. Bower and remained a leading figure at McKinsey until his death at the age of 99.

Bower is considered the father of modern management consulting. He created many McKinsey & Company’s consulting tools and applications, increasing the company’s billings tenfold in the process. He established the practice of hiring business school graduates and developed the “up or out” policy to create future McKinsey partners.

Bower wrote The Will to Manage: Corporate Success through Programmed Management (1966) and The Will to Lead: Running a Business with a Network of Leaders (1997.)

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