So Here’s Your Challenge

In Japanese culture, there is a cultural practice to avoid causing others to lose face. In business meetings, this often means that objections are not raised, and decisions are made apparently without a thorough discussion. While this is what appears to an outsider, the reality is far different.
 

Why are all consulting projects not wildly successful?  Why are some merely acceptable, and others fail?
Without a doubt, consultants are often to blame: they over-promise, under-scope, or take on assignments with unrealistic deadlines.  Yet clients also control the outcome of the engagement, and often, unwittingly, sabotage their consultants.
 

Consider this scenario: you get a phone call from a key client or a distraught family member: “didn’t you get my email?”  They are clearly upset that you “ignored” them: they see evidence that they are not your priority. You are not unresponsive.  You don’t care.  
Or maybe, your spam filter was doing just a bit too good a job.  Welcome to the world of Type I errors.
 

When was the last time you ever gave anything (or anyone) your 100% complete, undivided attention?  If you’re like most people – and you’re honest – it was probably a long, long, time ago.
The question is why.
 

In the olden days, external advisors would be called in whenever there is a problem to be solved.  Proposals would be reviewed, contracts negotiated, references checked, and the engagement would begin. The consulting team would show up, diagnose the source of the problem, and help the management team focus exclusively on getting rid of the bad.
Then, more often than not, the real problems would begin.
 

Most organizations invest in their external digital footprint.  They start with a strategy, then execute it, monitor it, and if they are good, they feed these results back into the strategy.  A feedback loop is critical, as it both injects market knowledge into the organization, and enables continuous improvement.
 

Have you ever wondered how Starbucks, Mcdonalds, or any global retailer guarantees both consistent service and consistent food quality?  Or how KPMG, Baker & McKenzie, or any global advisory firm provides the same quality of work, no matter the jurisdiction?
Behind every successful french fry, coffee, or advisory engagement is one thing:  methodology.
 

If you are a service provider, how do you set your price? And if you are a buyer, how do you know whether the price that you are given is reasonable? Beyond the obvious, price itself is an indicator of a number of factors: value, credibility of the service provider, work effort on the project, and risk.
While some may say that pricing is an “art”, it isn’t: it is bound by three specific factors...

The essence of just about any job – or any type of business development – is reaching out to connect with other people. Yet one obstacle typically gets in the way: making that very first call. It shouldn’t be an obstacle, but it is uncomfortable.  And we tend to avoid activities that make us feel a bit uncomfortable.
 

An athlete’s training schedule holds an important lesson for those looking to develop a successful career.