Consultants Saying Things

In the fast-paced world of consulting, the ability to ask insightful questions can be the key differentiator between average and exceptional performance. Here are 7 things you need to know about the art and science of effective questioning to generate superior outcomes. We Discuss: How can consultants ask good questions without appearing incompetent? Is the Socratic method overused in consulting? How does asking questions differ across cultures? How can technical consultants improve their questioning skills? How can junior consultants ask questions of senior team members or clients? Key Highlights: The importance of asking good questions as a consultant, rather than just appearing as an expert (00:02:58) Building rapport and psychological safety is crucial for asking probing questions effectively (00:26:13) The Socratic method can be valuable if used with humility and genuine curiosity, not to prove someone wrong (00:30:05) Cultural differences play a role in how questions are perceived and should be asked (00:40:09) For technical consultants, developing questioning skills may require intentional effort as it doesn't always come naturally (00:44:03) Asking questions demonstrates expertise more than just stating facts, though this can be counterintuitive (00:46:16) Good questioning involves being curious, open, caring about the intent, and can be learned through practice (00:45:22) Questions are fundamental to human existence, learning, and career development (00:45:46) 7 Takeaways: Effective consultants focus on asking insightful questions rather than simply demonstrating expertise, as this approach leads to better problem-solving and client relationships. Building rapport and psychological safety is crucial before asking probing questions, especially in different cultural contexts where relationship-building may be more important initially. The Socratic method can be a powerful tool when used with genuine curiosity and humility, rather than as a means to prove someone wrong or appear superior. For technical consultants, developing strong questioning skills may require intentional effort, as it often doesn't come naturally to those with an engineering mindset. Asking thoughtful questions can actually demonstrate more expertise than simply stating facts, though this approach may feel counterintuitive at first. Good questioning involves being curious, open-minded, and caring about the intent behind the inquiry, skills that can be learned and improved through practice. Questions are fundamental to human existence, learning, and career development, serving as a powerful tool for personal and professional growth. When you have a minute, go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see all the free content. While you're there, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE. Check out https://patreon.com/ConsultantsSayingThings and subscribe for special access to EVEN MORE content from the team.

The rise of AI in consulting is akin to the demise of the buggy whip industry in the early 20th century. Just as the automobile rendered buggy whips obsolete, AI and large language models threaten to automate many tasks traditionally performed by consultants. Here are 7 things you need to know about adapting to survive this disruption. We Discuss: What is the threat AI poses to consulting? How do consultants USE AI instead of being replaced by it? How can consultants keep an authentic voice in the face of LLMs? What is the consultant's value proposition in an AI future? What types of consulting careers are most likely to be impacted? Key Highlights: The consulting industry may be facing a "buggy whip moment" due to the rise of AI and large language models (LLMs) that can automate tasks traditionally done by consultants. (00:02:53) Consultants who don't adopt AI tools risk being replaced by those who do, similar to how those who didn't adopt typewriters were replaced by those who did. (00:06:45) AI tools can augment consultants' capabilities, allowing them to do more work at a better quality level. (00:27:36) The consulting industry may shift from providing free advisory content to protect their IP from being used to train AI models. (00:10:47) Consultants should be vigilant, view AI as an opportunity, skill up, focus on human elements, niche down, and get closer to clients to navigate the changes brought by AI. (00:33:56) Consulting work that requires human-level decision-making and capability will likely remain relevant in the short to medium term. (00:40:17) Consultants should protect their IP going forward to maintain their value and competitive edge. (00:44:01) Soft skills, emotional intelligence, and creativity will remain important for consultants as AI focuses on past data rather than innovative thinking. (00:30:32) Consultants who enjoy building machines (processes and new things) will have an advantage over those who prefer running machines (turning the crank). (00:41:10) 7 Takeaways: The consulting industry is facing a potential disruption due to the rise of AI and large language models that can automate tasks traditionally performed by consultants. Consultants who fail to adopt AI tools risk being replaced by those who do, highlighting the importance of staying current with technological advancements. AI tools can augment consultants' capabilities, enabling them to deliver higher quality work more efficiently. The consulting industry may shift away from providing free advisory content to protect their intellectual property from being used to train AI models. To navigate the changes brought by AI, consultants should be vigilant, view AI as an opportunity, develop new skills, focus on human elements, specialize in niche areas, and build stronger relationships with clients. In the short to medium term, consulting work that requires human-level decision-making and capability will likely remain relevant. Soft skills, emotional intelligence, and creativity will continue to be valuable assets for consultants, as AI focuses on analyzing past data rather than generating innovative ideas. When you have a minute, go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see all the free content. While you're there, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE. Check out https://patreon.com/ConsultantsSayingThings and subscribe for special access to EVEN MORE content from the team.

We spend our lives gaining knowledge of the world around us. Unlearning things, making room for new knowledge or corrected or updated knowledge, is a skill we aren’t usually taught and don’t often practice. Here are 8 important things to know about Unlearning. We're joined for this discussion by Pete Cafarchio who is an executive coach that helps transform leaders, teams, and cultures. Pete is the CEO of Oculus Consulting and helps practitioners perform at their best. We Discuss: What is unlearning and why is it so important? What are the implications of unlearning for us as consultants? What are the implications for our clients? How do we effectively challenge a client’s stuck mindset? What's preventing us from applying this strategy? Key Highlights: Unlearning is challenging deeply held beliefs and assumptions to make room for new perspectives (6:36). It takes courage since consultants are paid for what they know (6:15). We tend to defend our thinking, but feeling defensive can indicate we're not fully convinced about something (24:25). Self-awareness of our emotional reactions can reveal opportunities for unlearning (25:05). Groupthink and technology like social media algorithms can reinforce entrenched thinking, making unlearning more difficult (17:58, 30:04). Practical tips for unlearning include exposing ourselves to contrary views (35:02) and asking questions that imagine project failure scenarios (36:32) or competitor advantages (37:13) to surface overlooked issues. Facilitating unlearning conversations creates value for clients by getting them to reconsider assumptions (44:23). Information is now ubiquitous; consultants add value through context, application and strategy (43:36). 8 Takeaways: Unlearning involves challenging ingrained beliefs to make room for new perspectives, which takes courage since consultants are paid for their knowledge. (6:36) Feeling defensive about an idea can signal that we are not fully convinced about it and presents an opportunity for unlearning. (24:25) Technology like social media algorithms tends to reinforce tribal thinking, making unlearning more difficult. (30:04) Intentionally exposing ourselves to contrary opinions helps to challenge our assumptions and unlearn. (35:02) Asking “what if we fail” questions imagine failure scenarios to uncover overlooked issues. (36:32) Posing “what would competitors do” questions surfaces organizational vulnerabilities. (37:13) Facilitating unlearning conversations creates value for clients by getting them to challenge assumptions. (44:23) With ubiquitous information, consultants now add value through context, application and strategy rather than just providing information. (43:36) When you have a minute, go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠⁠⁠ to see all the free content. While you're there, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE. Check out https://patreon.com/ConsultantsSayingThings and subscribe for special access to EVEN MORE content from the team.

The digital age has offered countless opportunities for connection, but the depth and authenticity of these connections often fall short. Check out these 5 strategies for growing professional communities. We Discuss: Why do these communities matter? What problem are they solving? What are some challenges faced by consultants when seeking to build authentic, supportive networks? What are some strategies for a) finding a community to be part of; b) growing one of your own? How much does being ‘close-knit’ matter with these communities? Key Highlights: Introduction to Converge Australia 2023, a series of 32 events in 25 days across Australia bringing strategy, architecture and community professionals together (2:20-4:00) The motivation and goals in attending professional community events (23:27-25:52) How to find and get involved in a professional community (25:52-28:11) Expectations and mindset that drive people to attend events like this (30:32-31:47) Importance of quality conversations over scale (36:35-38:18) Keys to building community (40:25-42:16) 5 Takeaways: People attend these events to interact, gain new ideas, meet interesting people, and to make connections - if you're building a community you need to understand their motivations and why people come together Getting involved in a professional community starts with building relationships and networks over time in areas that you have a genuine interest Go in with a learning, exploratory mindset without set expectations and be prepared to give more than you receive and contribute value Breaking large groups of people into smaller, more intimate groups leads to better conversations and connections than one large event Understand who you want to help, what they need, how you can help - realize people are actively seeking community and connections When you have a minute, go to the ⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠⁠ to see all the free content. While you're there, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE.

The Corporate IT group is sometimes viewed as a black hole consuming resources and getting in the way of getting business done. Almost like some don't know what Corporate IT does... Some in the enterprise don’t really know how to engage with and leverage technology to deliver value. If it is hard for those who work FOR the company, it can be even harder to navigate corporate IT as a consultant who has landed someplace to try to address business problems. Given that corporate IT represents a set of services or capabilities that enable an organization to realize business objectives, it is pretty important for anyone seeking to effect change to understand how to engage with them. Consultants especially need to work with corporate IT in order to deliver promised value for their consulting services (and to collect their fees). Suffice it to say that “navigating the client’s IT organization” is not typically taught to consultants before they show up to solve business problems. I wanted to explore this topic with some smart friends. I hit up Chris Potts and R.M. Bastien who have both written and spoken on this topic a great deal. In this episode: What do we actually mean by corporate IT? What does it consist of and what does it usually provide to the rest of the company? Why do some IT groups have a dubious reputation for delivering value? This isn’t true everywhere… what makes the difference? Why does IT sometimes seem disconnected from the business it is enabling? For consultants on technical engagements, what are some tips for establishing rapport with the IT group? For consultants on strategy engagements, how do they engage with client IT groups? Chris Potts is a globally-recognized enterprise architect, enterprise designer and mentor who has worked in over 27 countries and helps companies, governments and individual leaders with the creative, practical, cultural and political aspects of being successful in their given contexts. He's the author of a series of books on the value of IT, architecture and how change relates to them both. R.M. Bastien has worked for over 25 years as a management coach, trainer, and architect. His mission is to help leaders understand and overcome the challenges and limitations of the current corporate IT engagement model, and to achieve higher quality and faster delivery of business goals. He is the author of an executive leadership guide to corporate IT strategy. Check out their sites and publications below: Chris Potts Online: https://lnkd.in/gn7ux8F5 FruITion Trilogy: https://lnkd.in/g35RPPiS R.M. Bastien: https://rmbastien.com/ Understanding the Corporate IT Strategy Game: https://a.co/d/75pPl6X Add your thoughts to the conversation on ⁠LinkedIn ⁠or ⁠YouTube⁠. You can also like and subscribe on the ⁠YouTube Channel ⁠(and you should!)

Clients don't hire consultants to learn about our unique frameworks or totally novel perspectives or listen to our thought projects on topics like AI, data strategy or new product development. They hire us to help drive outcomes. Sometimes these are outcomes that the client has already defined, other times they need some help divining what should actually result from a particular strategy or project. Naturally there is a tension between the design of something and the realization of the thing. For consultants, there is a struggle between the abstract, ambiguous, hand-waving strategic things and the super technical, hyper focused lost in the weeds things. Oftentimes we lose sight of the actual reason for working a problem with a client. We become so involved and invested with the details of HOW that we forget WHY. The outcome is what matters. Keeping focus on that is not always easy. In a recent conference hosted by IASAGlobal.org dealing with Business, Innovation, Leadership & Technology (BIL-T) and focused on driving real world outcomes, my friends and I were asked to host a live session of our podcast. With a dose of editing legerdemain and a degree of intrepidity, we managed to craft an episode from the live talk. In this episode: What are ‘good’ behaviors with regard to delivering outcomes? What should consultants be caring about? Are Client and Consultant outcomes always aligned? How do consultants balance what the client wants vs what is achievable? How do consultants know the right level of detail for the audience/client/group? Add your thoughts to the conversation on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠.⁠ You can also like and subscribe on the ⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠⁠⁠(and you should!)

AI is taking over the world. It is suddenly and urgently intruding into everything. It can think better than you, faster than you, treats your kids better and is taking your job. What is a consultant to do? Personally I've been giving everything AI-related a generous dose of side-eye. I see possibilities but also a lot of danger and a more than a standard level of hype. But when it comes to consulting specifically, it seems these tools can both help and hinder our work. Our clients have new powers, but so do we. What are the impacts on the consulting industry? Oliver and Phil and I sat down to discuss. In this episode: - Is AI a threat to the consulting industry? - What types of consulting are at risk? - How will consulting need to change to survive? - What are the impacts to consultants and their careers? - What skills will consultants need in order to navigate this future? This is a great, 40 minute episode. But if you have the stomach, hang around afterwards for an additional 15 minutes of unscripted conversation about this topic... which is a wide, varied, deep subject area. I mention a website about Enterprise Architecture in this episode, http://www.chrisonea.com. There isn't an AI article there, but there IS a bunch of other stuff that might be interesting. Add your thoughts to the conversation on ⁠LinkedIn ⁠or ⁠YouTube⁠. You can also like and subscribe on the ⁠YouTube Channel ⁠(and you should!)