In my 1 year of working as consultant in one of the Big 4 consulting firm, I have encountered the below 5 Cs in Consultant and to some extent in the working of Consulting firms. Maybe You have also seen some of these 5 Cs in consultants and consulting firm. I do agree my experience is limited to 1 year in 1 big four and with 1 client. So my view could be myopic or biased. However I urge all consultants to introspect and look at the 5Cs am proposing.
The 5 Cs of Consulting
Below 5 Cs, encountered by me
- Contracts: We are rushing to get more contracts and bid for more contracts. We build capabilities and look for capable people after we won contracts. For these contracts we hire and recruit also on contracts. Some firms outsource work to others on contract.
- Clients: We live and die by client words and client work. We focused so much on individuals at client locations that we fail to connect with them. For us client is the chair on which the client sits rather than the person in the chair or the organisation where the chair is.
- Credit: We work towards getting credit. We hog for limelight and recognition. Be getting credit from client or getting credit of work done by our managers, bosses. We showoff when we get credit. We beg, borrow and steal for credit.
- Competitive: We are extremely competitive. Guess for getting credit we even get competitive. We are unnecessarily competitive amongst within teams, divisions & inter firms. As Consulting industry too we get competitive giving clients advantage to pit against each other. We bring disrepute to our industry and makes us misrepresent and misinform.
- Career: We want to get raise, promotion, higher designation, more salary. We want to be youngest partners. We want to rise to the top. We focused so much on I,me, myself and my career that we losing sight of what most important as consultant. We are in hurry to build our careers and we take positions and work accordingly.
However I thought about the other 5 Cs which should replace in the workings of consulting firm and consultants employed therein.
My proposed new 5 Cs of Consulting
- Competency: Contracts should replace with Competency. We build competency before and then bid and go for contracts within these competency. Building competency requires strategy and a method. We need to invest in the same.
- Connection: We need to connect with client at more personal and organisational level. We think we have connections but we have clients. We need to make more meaningful client connections. We need to understand how we help client, the person & organisation.
- Collaborative: The horde for credit makes us very individualistic and self centered. We as consultants need to make working better by being collaborative. Its not easy to take that step when all are trying for credit. But somebody needs to make the first move.
- Co-optetion: The essence of living and working has turned out to be one word “Competition”. The working world & consulting firm thrived on this. The new challenges of 2020 & years beyond will require a radical change & new paradigm in consulting. This will be Collaboration + Competition. Hence Co-optetion should be that new ideology. Its best consultants and consulting firm adorn this ASAP.
- Contribution: The shift has to come form whats in it for me or how it further my career goals to what I can do to make it better for my client, how can I add value to the project am on and in the firm I am in. Instead of focusing on what makes my career better ahead, I should think how I can make my contribution better in this Working world.
Will nice to see some feedback from new and veteran consultants from the consulting industry. I have tried to imbibe some of the above Cs in my role not only with my team, other service lines in my firm but even with other consultancy firms’ on my project. Email me at rajesh(at)topgunrj(dot)com