Clerkin Consulting

A Thursday thought.....'Three years in, what have I learned?   Firstly Happy New Year to you. It is approaching three years to the day, from when I decided to go it alone and start up Clerkin Consulting   With no regrets since, it is worth reflecting on some of my learnings along the way.   So in no particular order...   1. Value your Network Whether they are professional, personal or family, never underestimate the value of the connections and relationships you make throughout your career. Some of my best clients today, grew out of my existing network via a simple warm introduction. You don't have to be the most charismatic of person, but never burn bridges, and treat people with respect and sincerity. It is free after all, and will go a long way.   2. Do good work. Always When you can, go over and above client expectations, and work on developing a level of trust with your customers that maintains long-term relationships. Be professional in all your interactions, from initial contracting right through to final invoicing and everything in between. You are what you consistently do, so don’t think you can get away with delivering to a certain standard when it suits.   3. Where do you add value? What type of work do you enjoy doing, and what type of work are you good at? I need the variety of challenges that Consultancy work brings to keep me energised. Similarly, problem-solving and taking on the most difficult of challenges gets me out of the bed in morning. Building a Consultancy around these two dynamics gives me the confidence that I can build a business and career that will work for me into the longer term.   4. Know your customer? What do your clients or customers need, and what are they willing to pay for? Without knowing both, you simply won’t have a viable business. If they want Mars bars, don’t be trying to sell them a Snickers. Know the market value of your product and service and don’t be afraid to ask for it. Once you have made that all-important match, ensure you continue to deliver value for your client. Solve their problems, develop trusting relationships and the commercials will take care of themselves.     5. Work hard. With @clerkinconsulting I want to build a long-term, sustainable, ethical and value-added business. This takes hard work. Hard work in getting out there to meet new clients, taking knocks and getting up to go again. Hard work in competing with others and getting your voice and brand recognised. Hard work, dealing with internal business problems like recruitment, cash flow, client management. But as the saying goes, ‘if it doesn’t take effort, it is likely not worth doing in the first place’.   To finish, it has been a great first three years in business, and I am looking forward to the next three and beyond. Good luck to anyone else starting on their own journey. It will be worth it in the end. It has been for for me.   Wishing everyone a prosperous 2024.  

A Thursday thought... Why do we invest so little, to solve the root cause of almost everything? Good old Root cause analysis and CAPAs (Corrective and Preventative Actions) are staples of Operational Excellence. For anyone familiar with Clerkin Consulting, you know these are essential tools. Very simply, for any non-conformance, breakdown, complaints or quality defect, you need to fully understand WHY it happened. Not just on the surface, but go that deeper and fully understand what was the sequence of events that led to the problem or failure. Time and time again, as any of you who do this routinely, the root cause is ultimately traced back to 'People'... >Incorrect machine setup by an operator >Wrong information provided by a Contracts Manager >Incorrect material mix set by an inexperienced controller >Cabling incorrectly wired by a trainee >Outdated production plan issued by an Operations Manager Sound familiar? Typically, the countermeasure involves some form of training—toolbox talks, refresher sessions, updated SOPs, or one-page lessons. However, I frequently see a lack of commitment to fully address these training needs. Simply creating quick training content isn't enough, but it often satisfies the need to mark the CAPA as 'Green' on the action log. We all love to mark things a 'Done' at the end of the day... Training and development take time. We don’t learn new skills just by reading a manual; we need coaching, mentoring, and practice under supervision. As parents, we understand this when investing in music lessons or sports coaching for our children. Yet, in the workplace, proper investment in training is often lacking. "On the job" training is as good as it gets, until six months later, you hear the phrase, "Blind leading the blind." Depending on your operations and staffing model, your training needs will vary. A stable business with low staff turnover faces fewer risks, relying on time-built experience. But if you rely on casual labor, new trainees, or are expanding, effective training systems are critical. In the end, real operational excellence isn’t just about fixing problems but investing in preventing them from happening in the first place. That investment starts with your People. Have a good day.. Dick Get in touch to learn about how @clerkinconsulting is supporting clients with their training and development strategies.

We are hiring...!!! To support Clerkin Consulting continued growth, we are currently recruiting for an experienced 'Lean Construction Consultant' with proven experience delivering high-impact Operational Excellence projects for clients in the built environment. This a great opportunity for ambitious applicants to work in one of our economy's most important sectors, and deliver transformational projects across a range of functions. Please apply via the link below, and share across your network, or directly to anyone who you know might be interested. Thanks in advance, Dick