Hutton Henry

🚀 Many points in this article are 'givens' for a consultant—strategy development, emotional intelligence, digital skills. But one word is missing: 'customer.' Consulting is a two-way street, where 50% of the value comes from truly listening to and learning from your customers. 🤝 How do you learn without being too salesy? Offer value. It could be a free consulting day in their office, offering fresh perspectives. I’m honoured to be involved in a client's quarterly SLT meetings. Spending the day in their world is always a thought-provoking experience. 'Continuous Learning' = Walking in your customer's shoes.

😅 Embrace Nervousness. 🤔 Ask Good Questions. 👩🏻‍💼 Focus on the customer, not your job title. A Story to Illustrate: Once, I was in a cab with my boss on the way to a sales meeting. He introduced me as the 'expert' in a subject I knew about but not in depth. We were presenting to 14 people, and I had to lead the conversation. I was petrified! Despite shaking inside, I got up to the whiteboard and guided the conversation through questions. This helped us uncover everything they needed and their pain points. By embracing nervousness, asking good questions, and focusing on the customer, you can demonstrate the qualities needed for leadership roles in consulting.

Technological change is inevitable in consulting, and we need to embrace it. But we also need to ensure that data and our customer information is secure. Hence, guardrails are essential if we adopt new technology and process customer information with it, and professional services firms must invest in top-grade cyber protection and cyber insurance.

I was brought in to rescue a project where a planned 3-month integration with 80 consultants had ballooned into a 9-month ordeal. The root issue was faulty assumptions about the project scope without thorough assessment, leading to delays and cost overruns. I took a hands-on approach, re-drafted the plan, and communicated directly with the team. Through workshops and one-on-one meetings, I gathered insights from those who understood the workload and its challenges. The original plan was designed to appease the board but needed more practical input. Engaging with workers earned their buy-in and helped establish a realistic timeline. The key lesson? Effective planning involves the entire hierarchy to define an accurate scope.

One of the best teams I've ever worked with was both fully remote and nomadic. Technology was a facilitator that enabled the team to travel and work wherever they wanted. Two aspects were critical to success. Trusting each other that the work would be completed and allowing work to be fully 'async'. People could work on the 'production line' regardless of location and time zone. They always shipped on time. My point is that technology itself is helpful but is not effective until there are clear guardrails and principles, and therefore, making one person responsible and accountable for team communication was essential.