Ways of Working: Five Ways Consultants Can Make More Impact

Consulting is an intense, fast-paced profession. This blog presents Loughridge Transformations‘ unique thinking and philosophy regarding consultant Ways of Working based on our extensive experience and successful projects. 

Our consultants bring a wealth of practical experience from their roles in a top-five FTSE multi-national environment. They have held various senior positions, including leading an internal consultancy. Their years of experience working alongside external consultants on multiple projects have given them a comprehensive understanding of the field, enabling us to provide practical and effective insights.

If your organisation has previously engaged consultants, you might be able to recognise some learnings we are trying to share here. For example, you may have used external consultants to lead or participate in large-scale Finance Transformation programmes. You may have worked together on implementing a new ERP system, migrating activity to Shared Services or assessing the existing control framework with remediation actions – to name just a few.

Leveraging the Expertise

Before we discuss what makes successful and truly value-adding consulting, let us firmly state our beliefs based on experience. Generally speaking, people working in the consulting industry are incredibly bright people who have graduated from world-class universities with the best grades. So, why does it sometimes go wrong and, equally importantly, where does it go wrong? We are not questioning general consultant expertise within their respective subjects. Instead, this is about leveraging and tailoring that expertise to the organisational needs. 

The sad truth is that many organisations, large and small, have mixed feelings after working with consultants. Furthermore, from our experience and speaking with CEOs or CFOs in various industries, such mixed feelings often stem from the consultants’ working methods and rarely from their Subject-Matter Expertise.

So, Which Ways of Working Work Well?

Ways of Working 1: Understanding the Business Case

Understanding the business case is a crucial aspect of successful consulting. It’s not just about the numbers but about comprehending the drivers for change and how this will affect the organisation, employees, customers, and other stakeholders impacted by the change.

Ways of Working 2: Taking a Holistic View

You will likely face competing priorities and resources. We recommend you take a holistic view of the project to understand its scale and nature. It is also wise to consider the touchpoints with other projects or parts of the organisation. You may not be able to take such a holistic view on day one. Your understanding will evolve, and one critical attribute you need is the right mindset.

When you, as a consultant, take on a specific client engagement, your focus will usually be on your Subject-Matter Expertise. However, we suggest displaying a broad mindset to add additional strategic oversight. There is value in continually seeking touchpoints and unintended consequences.

Ways of Working 3: Assessing Preparedness for Change

It is critical to successful consulting to assess the organisation’s preparedness for the impending change and whether end-users are ready to “receive” it. It adds immeasurable value to the process.

Ways of Working 4: Adapting Your Style

Adapting your style to suit the client’s needs is not just a suggestion; it’s a necessity. It’s about staying connected and engaging in ongoing conversations with the organisation. This adaptability and continuous communication will help your holistic view evolve and mature, making you more flexible and responsive to the client’s needs.

Communication and presentation are among the most important aspects of consulting. You will be judged—rightly or wrongly—by how you communicate. Often, before your first week at the client site is over, many will have made up their minds about you. Your people skills are crucial for a successful outcome. We find that humility and respect for people go with the client a long way. Remember to tread carefully and adapt your style.

Many of us have encountered consultants sitting in the corner, working sixteen-hour days writing PowerPoint slides to e-mail the client. Despite their efforts, this approach is probably not too impactful. It is unlikely to achieve the desired change. We find it works better when discussing any change you propose with the client. For example, it could be a new process design or financial control. If it is not fit-for-purpose and understood by the organisation, it will be dead in the water from day one.

Ways of Working 5: Communicating with Your Client

Consider your audience and tailor your message. Remember that you are there to get things done, but be aware of a potential minefield of organisational politics, culture, and team dynamics. The last thing you want to do is offend people. A change in a process, for example, does not necessarily mean that the way things are currently done is useless, even if you think that, on occasion, you must keep your thoughts to yourself!

On a serious note, however, your message on adopting a new process should be about its benefits. For instance, the benefits could be adopting the latest technology, increasing the time spent on value-adding work or reducing the frequency of late nights and weekend work. So whatever you choose as your persuading argument must have a positive appeal – otherwise, why should people listen to you?

E-mail is OK, Right?

One last thing on communication: in recent years, many surveys have shown that e-mail communication is one of the poorest ways of communication. People experience in-box overload. Busy people do not have the luxury of reviewing and understanding every e-mail that comes their way. It is especially true of an e-mail from someone they don’t know in the organisation, such as an external consultant.

So, what do you think you could do? Imagine you have designed a draft of a new process and want feedback. Your draft will likely be on paper, whether in PowerPoint, Word, or Excel. How do we get this out to the right audience? Consider the value of face-to-face or video communication in this scenario. It can help you connect with your audience, engage them in the process, and ensure your message is received and understood.

We recommend meeting with your target audience and talking them through your proposal. Of course, taking the meeting face-to-face is preferable. However, using video calls as a medium is more than acceptable. First, ask for their feedback during your process “walkthrough” and note their feedback, issues and concerns. Then, verbally agree that you will investigate and address their concerns and feedback. It is, however, acceptable to follow up on the meeting outcomes in writing by e-mailing the participants. You can then arrange a new meeting after addressing the actions from the first meeting. The same loop then starts again.

It boils down to that in the world of communication. Nothing is more powerful than verbal, face-to-face communication or video calls if face-to-face communication is not practical.

Therefore, we recommend e-mail communication only to confirm something verbally agreed upon in a meeting. Your audience expects an e-mail from you and is interested in reading and understanding it.

Ways of Working: Interested in More?

If you have been following Loughridge Transformations‘ blog, you may already have seen our “Nine Steps to Finance Transformation“. These steps describe a sequential set of activities you should do to get a successful outcome of your Finance Transformation journey. We explain the “technical” aspects of the activities. However, it is also invaluable reading about “Ways of Working”. Within each activity of the “Nine Steps“, there is a strong emphasis on our Ways of Working, and you may find it helpful to revisit those blogs.

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