A Management Consultant Wonders

"You focus too much on execution and quality".

He wondered if this is a bad attribute. After all, it has not been impacting the profitability, productivity and utilization. Any management consultant should be proud of such a comment. His company, which is perceived as a reports and market research provider but wants to grow in consulting, should in fact give value to such attributes and employees, who possess such attributes. However, that is not the case in his company!!! Here, such employees are required to change!!!

The individual who has been quoted at the beginning had added further, "Focus on getting more business. You should not say NO to anything that the client wants in scope. Do not worry about execution - that we will manage somehow".

'Manage somehow' is not the best approach in an industry where clients pay you for your expertise and project management skills. It is an industry where clients have 'almost zero tolerance' towards low quality and non-adherence to timelines.

The approach of 'get more business and do not say no to anything that the client wants in scope' is extremely risky. He thought that the fact that his management is still a fan of this approach, even after losing some high-profile clients in recent past, is nothing short of BIZARRE. His company lost a client, who had awarded more than 5 projects in that year, as the VP and Director/PM could not say NO to an impossible scope. The client has not worked with his company since then!!! Our management consultant had suggested that they should not touch the project. Still, people refuse to learn from the mistakes!!!

In fact, his 'questionable' attribute had helped in getting repeat business from multiple clients. There was a company which did not award a project to his company as they wanted to work with a more established consulting firm. They went with one of the best consulting firms that is around. However, it turned out that the consulting firm promised too many things (had not said NO to anything) and could not deliver. The next time, the client awarded the project to our management consultant's company and he led the project. And like always, he executed the project perfectly (clearly he is not being modest!!!). Later, the client awarded his company another project and requested him to lead the project. So, his work made a client happy - the same client who was pissed with the quality of work produced by a top consulting firm. Commendable, is it not? It is indeed but such qualities are not valued in his company. He wonders WHY!!!

He points that he does not believe in playing safe. He does not promise only those things which can be 'easily' delivered. Firstly, in consulting, no one pays for things that can be easily delivered. Moreover, in consulting, you are selling an idea and service, which needs to take shape over the duration of the project. Things have to go as per plan and have to fall in place. So everything is a risk. One has to take a risk and plan/aim for whatever can be delivered in the best quality. However, one should not 'gamble' while pitching for a project. One needs to be realistic and practical, which he is (again, no sign of modesty!!!).

Our management consultant wonders....if he needs to change himself and if he needs a change.