Consulting Mailman
This is a phrase that I have used many times this week. It has come to be a short-hand way for me to say “overhead.” Like the post I wrote about not supervising others here, if you find yourself sitting in meetings where you are only taking notes, setting up calls and logistics for others. You are not adding value.
Consultants are paid well to deliver massive amounts of value. The bar is high. Some questions to ask:
- Are you bringing new ideas to the client?
- Are you reducing complexity for your client?
- Are you building rapport with the client, and getting them to open up?
- Are you coaching junior consultants, and creating a leverage model?
- Are you taking risks that the client applauds?
Am I a consulting mailman?
If yourself finding yourself sayings things like:
- I am not too familiar with this topic, but. . .
- I will have to ask him, what he thinks
- Let me run this by her and let you know
- Let’s get A and B on the call, and discuss
- Well, she is really the one who knows the answer, but. . .
These are all signs that you are light on content and heavy on free time. Not good.
Reassess what you are doing on the project
Chances are you are project managing, and doing it badly. Overly involved in the wrong things, not trusting your people, and generally just taking messages from here to there. Mailman.
- Re-read the project scope
- Talk to your manager and partner
- Start adding value today
- Break through the project or client-side obstacles
- Develop a stronger point of view; use data to build credibility
Complacency = danger
Going with the flow is not healthy. It’s too easy, tempting, and lazy to match the client’s tempo. It’s our jobs as consultants to have a point of view, bring in expertise, motivate action, create change.
There are times in projects – happened to me many times – where consultants get lulled into the client’s pace and we become SG&A too. We’re in all the meetings, we’re creating more documents and paperwork. We are adding complexity, not simplicity. We are becoming a part of the problem.
1. Are you breaking down problems?
Did you help simplify and clarify the problem? Did you turn messy data into insights?
2. Are you helping the client make tough decisions
Can you look back on your week’s work and identify how you helped the client decide?
3. Are you helping to create change?
Did you help “move the ball” this week? If this were a football game, did you get a first-down or score a field goal. If you are not doing one of those 3 things, you are a mailman. You are shuttling information back and forth.
Confession: I have been a mailman recently
Reblogged this on Reda T. Hojeij's Blog and commented:
Your clients are expecting an added value from you for the money they are paying.