Good Consultant / Bad Consultant
What good consultants do that bad consultants don’t, and the other way around.
I recently listened to
’s podcast episode with .Around here, pretty much all of you know that Good strategy, Bad Strategy is one of my favorite books ever, and certainly my favorite book about strategy.
Naturally, I enjoyed that podcast and I encourage everyone here to give it a listen:
Even more naturally, I though I’d butcher Rumelt’s work (because why not…) and give my view of what good consultants do that bad consultants don’t, and the other way around.
(If you really look hard, you may find some hints of Good Product Manager/Bad Product Manager by Ben Horowitz in here. Yes 😁 )
Good consultants really care about fixing their clients’ problems. They don’t just fall for fancy solutions, or dream about beating others, or work towards the only goal of making big bucks.
They know the real win is in sorting out complex industry problems in ways that make clients happy. Good consultants are all-in, focused on building and fixing things.
Bad consultants think too much about their own big ideas and how smart they seem. They love being the top dog. They want people around who just do as they’re told.
They are okay with being okay, and never push for more. They would rather stick to their comfort zone than learn something new or admit they are wrong.
Bad consultants are wrong a lot but, unlike good consultants, they rarely realize it or acknowledge it.
Good consultants have big dreams but keep their feet on the ground. They work hard at finding that sweet spot between dreaming big and getting things done right.
Good consultants want to do things right but they also want to do the right things.
Bad consultants mess this up. They either get lost in their dreams without a clear plan, or they are so down-to-earth they crush any exciting and big ideas.
Bad consultants can sometimes do things right but often don’t do the right things. And viceversa.
Good consultants know innately that real success lies in the impact they leave behind by transforming businesses. They are often visionaries who see beyond the horizon (or plural, horizons), identifying opportunities where others see obstacles.
Their approach is holistic. They consider the immediate fixes (we need them, sure), but also the long-term sustainability and growth of their clients’ ventures. No throw-away.
Bad consultants are mirages in a desert. They promise oases of solutions but lead their clients into deeper quandaries.
They are fixated on the superficial - the flashy presentations and the jargon that sounds impressive but lacks substance. They think volume of words is an intelligent metric. They are masters of illusion. They create a façade of progress, but underneath, the problems persist, often exacerbated by their short-sighted strategies.
Good consultants are in it for the journey, not just the destination.
Bad consultants are like those Australian tourists visiting each train station of all European capitals in two weeks, skimming the surface but never diving deep into the real issues at hand.
Good consultants are architects and constructors of better business buildings. They lay strong foundations based on trust, integrity, and genuine partnership. They recognize that their work must create spaces where businesses can thrive, innovate, and lead.
They are relentless in their pursuit of excellence, always pushing boundaries and challenging norms to achieve the extraordinary.
Bad consultants are also builders, but are like those ones who use subpar materials, cutting corners to save costs or speed up the process, only for everything to crumble down eventually.
They are tacticians playing a dangerous game with their clients’ futures, often leaving a trail of unresolved issues and broken promises.
Good consultants are picky in selecting team members. They want the best people for every job and it bugs them if they don’t have that. They care a lot about their work and their team. They put effort in developing their team: they hire for attitude, not talent, then they invest their own time and effort in teaching the skills.
Good consultants know that is never a good idea to keep a bad apple in a basket of good ones.
Bad consultants do none of it. They hire without thinking it through. They let good people slip away while keeping those who are not up to par. They fire too slowly and hire too mindlessly.
Good consultants keep their eyes on their clients. They are honest, foretelling, direct. They work only with clients who get it.
Bad consultants twist their plans to make clients happy, even if it’s not what’s best for them.
Good consultants think long-term. Bad consultants think short-term.
Good consultants know talking and listening are both important talents. They listen attentively to clients and colleagues: two ears, one mouth. They make sure to communicate well because that’s a big part of their job.
Bad consultants communicate poorly. They listen to respond, and respond as if they didn’t listen. They want to call all the shots themselves.
Good consultants build an environment where everyone makes smart choices because everyone is empowered to do so, even when the good consultants are not around.
Bad consultants flip-flop on their decisions based on the last person they talked to and the last email that dropped in their inbox.
Good consultants listen to everybody, of course, but make up their own minds in the end: they understand that just about anybody can have an opinion, but not all opinions count the same.
Bad consultants are stuck in their ways of working and don’t pivot even when new information emerges.
Good consultants get that their role changes as their team grows. They adapt and make sure they are earning their spot, just like everyone else.
Bad consultants run things the same way, no matter how big their team gets, and expect everyone else to just deal with it.
Good consultants know how to embody the spirit of true leadership. They have the right voice in the boardroom. They are the hands and feet on the ground. They lead by example, inspiring everyone around them to reach for their best.
Bad consultants are what happens when ego, complacency, and a lack of genuine commitment take the helm. They are the shadows in the consulting industry, often forgotten but sadly repeated by those who fail to recognize the true essence of our job.
Good consultants know this profession is more than just staying afloat and submitting timesheets.
Bad consultants will never understand that, once you strip out all the annoying idiosyncrasies, their mission is about doing something that matters and makes a difference.
So, unfortunately, they will never truly enjoy it.
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