An unusual perspective on knowledge-work
In the 1930s my great grandparents won contracts to transport goods by canal from London to the Midlands, using horse-drawn narrowboats. The canal out of Brentford (where the river Thames meets the Grand Union Canal) was a bottleneck and queues formed there, slowing things down. Lost time was lost money.
Rapport factors you shouldn't ignore
Rapport factors you shouldn't ignore Last week's brief was based on a single question, "Do I consistently focus my attention on what I don't want, versus what I do want?" This week I finished reading Susan Cain's book Quiet: The
The challenge of creation in a problem solving world
When I run possibility thinking workshops my opening question is obscure. "What do you get when you solve a problem?" I was reminded of this on Wednesday when nature conspired against me. Heavy rain resulted in water pouring down the sitting room wall. The slate roof of our
Going from okay to excellent
This week I saw another example of deliberate practice and how small, incremental changes can make a massive difference to a consultant's performance. This consultant was creating a client pitch. Their first pass was okay, satisfactory. We talked though some areas for improvement. On the second pass they
3 habits to make yourself a better consultant
If you want to establish a new habit it seems that micro-changes to existing behaviour are the way to go. I've experimented with this and it works for me, your milage may vary. If you'd like to try micro-behaviour change out you can sign up for
How to sow seeds in a recession
Many consultants are quite content to wait for their client base to initiate opportunities. We call this order-taking, and in good times it works to a certain extent. That's okay. No criticism. And it's also why we see consultancy firms stuck at a particular revenue level.
Now tell me what you really think
If you think it's easy for clients to decide which consultant to work with, think again. They have lots to consider: 1. Why do we need to change this thing? 2. Why is it a priority right now? 3. Why is this consultant the right one for the
Uselessly vague prospecting
When we say "Acme Construction" is a prospect it’s uselessly vague. Even when we say "The Operations Director at "Acme Construction" it's not good. We must do our homework.The minimum is: Name. Who do I want to meet specifically? An unconsidered
Are you an empathic authority?
Too many consultants relegate themselves to a position of order-taker. You must position yourself as an empathic authority, so you don’t fall into that trap. That means taking a leading role in your dealings with clients. Like this: 1. Seek empathy. Show the client that you ‘get’ them and
Reboot your network
A while ago there was a meme, something along the lines of “advice for my younger self”. Recently that’s morphed into “advice for my pre-lockdown self”. I've asked consultants about this and alongside the personal advice about flour and Netflix I've heard insights about the