When you are on a large consulting project, it’s easy to get lost. Lost in the activities, status reports, client meetings, and project management mess. It’s easy to forget the basics. . .
Get back to basics
Think
What a great job where clients pay you to think. What a privilege. They pay us to break down problems, help them make difficult decisions, and make change happen.
- Ask better questions and get to the root of the problem, process, challenge
- Structure your thoughts. Use frameworks, maturity models, and clear process flows
- Use benchmarks judiciously; it’s a starting point only
- Bring the right and diverse team
- Use data to validate your hypotheses
- Get smart quickly; it’s fun to be the mini-expert on something
- Focus on the options, not the problems
Write
Great, clear writing is rare. If you can’t put thoughts into words and visuals, you aren’t saying anything.
- Writing is structured thinking; use the 4 hats of writing
- Think about your audience
- Make a storyboard and turn it into a deliverable
- Use visuals to tell stories to executives
- Write effective titles (most important real estate on the PowerPoint)
- Speak clearly; explain it to me as if I were a kid
- Have a point of view; no one wants a SparkNotes summary
- Remember, good business writing is a superpower
Share the storyline with the client and experts. Vet the story. Persuade without misleading.
- Explain the WHY behind the work; start and end with storytelling
- See how McKinsey does it; 30 presentations
- Get really good at making effective PowerPoints
- Understand that negotiations is a win-win
- Be brief and don’ t be a bore; less talking, more doing
Revise
Yes, we aren’t perfect. Consulting is about modeling your way to the answer.
- Get feedback and take it to heart; deliberate practice makes you great
- Revise continually; get another pair of eyes on your work
- Professionalism = be a craftsman; no one will care about it more than you will.
- Get a team mate to proof read, get it close to perfect
- Remember, it’s okay to be different; good is predictable, great varies
Yes, I need to get back to basics
Everything I just wrote applies to myself. Have a few big projects, where I need to think, write, communicate, and revise. Have a great weekend all.
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A brilliant reminder; thanks.
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Thanks. I needed some serious SELF reminding this week.
Just what I needed to see. Simple and straight advise to get back on track with my own consulting assignment.
Reblogged this on Reda T. Hojeij's Blog and commented:
A practical formula.. I like this simple blog …
Simple, but a great formula for consultants!
Yes. Thanks for reading.