Do you need more bandwidth to do get things done? Have you thought of boosting your energy and speed for a period, to get to a better state, this summer?
Can I interest you in a visualization of what that would be like?
“The hard part is not only the first step, it is to follow through with enough of the right steps so that progress is seen – and believed in – which leads to minds that shift, confidence that grows, ambition that lifts, and the establishment of a new type of working style”.
You know what it is you need, and you do what you need to do. How is it going? What if you got some leverage, more of “you” – the version of you that comes in fresh from the outside, with time and energy to finish things, for you. If you are new to working with an independent consultant, can I interest you in a visualization of what that would be like?
Every few months I experience a new business environment. It is always exciting because as much as I have traveled, met people and accomplished things, it is never the same. I travel to you, or join you in a videoconference, and listen to your take of what the problem is, how you and your team want and need to change. We connect. There may be things in common between us. I reflect on what you say. I recognize typical effects in your situation, ask questions, some that make you think again and revisit your conclusions. You introduce me to your team and customers, and we start to work.
Having served over four dozen clients on the same number of topics, over a dozen years, (across a dozen countries,) I come to you rich with ideas on how to approach situations, and I do treat each as its own. As I work, I visualize what I have seen, using simple slides and data; I share how I think, making it easy to follow and for you to prioritize. If I have a different ambition than you, then we discuss. As I think you agree, it makes little sense to work towards unreasonable objectives, nor is it worth having me around if no real change is achieved. The more time you have, or give, the better we work as one mind. If trade-offs are hard, I help to elegantly put words to it, and can be a communicator and translator, if you want. It is hard to “educate upwards” in organizations, but it is sometimes needed. A few examples:
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a key SEC metric goes misunderstood for months, and nobody clarifies it
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a decisional forum “thinks” (but does not verify) that a business case has been reviewed in the appropriate way
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an executive needs reminding of policy, or how sourcing governance is done
I parse no blame when I see such imperfections, but draw attention to a better way of operating. Diplomacy takes us a long way, I find.
I have learned that the hard part is not only the first step, it is to follow through with enough of the right steps so that progress is seen – and believed in – which leads to minds that shift, confidence that grows, ambition that lifts, and the establishment of a new type of working style. This takes anything from a month to three, depending on the topic, the sense of urgency, commitment put in, and the work intensity. Typically, I am asked to stay for one additional period, after which there is no longer a need for me. My presence has become nice-to-have, and from now on we stay in contact only by force of mutual curiosity and general networking. Perhaps you look me up on LinkedIn from time to time, see one of my blog entries, perhaps the one where I de-mystify consulting. If someone in your network would be interested in connecting to me, your referral is very welcome.
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The consulting market is in transition and today you have many new options. There are networks that let you get matched to independent consultants if you want to speed up the search process. At times you can benefit from just the one person who guides you effectively through change work, someone on your side who helps you get things done. Someone not constrained by the need to sell services, who listens to you and cares for your situation. Someone trained and networked who can help you scale things up in your team, or together with others, or who can be your sounding board if you need to source change services from a larger consultancy.
Feel free to contact me if I have made you curious. I would like to get to help you professionally. The first hour and a half of trial advisory is free, if you want to set us up for a video call. Book it here.
About the Author
Highly strategic and well versed across business functions, I act as trusted advisor and leverage experiences gained in consulting (McKinsey, Accenture) and industry (Zurich Insurance, UBS) to solve problems and build capabilities. I am fascinated about, and work towards, well-functioning systems with clear rules of engagement and respectful and interest-based collaboration and negotiation. My work includes business plans and business cases, outsourcing transactions, procurement category strategies, risk and financial frameworks and policies, and service transformation. Lately, following clients’ needs, my work has centred in on achieving savings in procurement and lowering run rate cost.
My “power” is to quickly gauge and express the essence of a situation and needs, and then stay adaptive through implementation, never giving up on either work or teams. I interact with care and have a track record of achieving change. I energize from people and care about organizational performance and team health. Being independent fits my curiosity and desire to learn. I am fluent in Swedish, English, Italian, German and French. Read more about consulting areas, and check out my work.
