After decades of consulting, I could easily write a post titled, “The Top 10 Lessons I’ve Learned.” But I’m not here to do clickbait.

My intention isn’t to gain followers, generate leads, or chase some fleeting boost in engagement. Instead, I want to share practical insights from my journey: what has worked for clients, what hasn’t, and how I’ve approached challenges. My hope is that this offers you something useful and enlightening. I know some prefer the list format so I will include them as well.

A Reluctant Start to Consulting

A couple of decades ago, I was offered an opportunity to step into consulting. My initial reaction? “I’m not the consultant type.” Here’s why I hesitated:

1. Imposter Syndrome: I doubted whether my knowledge and experience were well-rounded enough to serve as a trusted advisor who could jump into any project and deliver value.
2. Bad Examples: I’d seen consultants who overestimated their abilities but couldn’t deliver. Many were learning on the job, which didn’t align with my personal standards of integrity.
3. Profit-Driven Models: The traditional consulting model—focused on billable hours and revenue—clashed with my belief that consulting should prioritize the client’s success and long-term outcomes.

Back then, and even now, I see many consulting firms and agencies that prioritize profit over meaningful partnerships. After reflecting deeply on my experiences and accomplishments, I realized I had something unique to bring to the table. That realization gave me the confidence to dive in fully.

The Turning Point

My first consulting engagement was supposed to last two weeks. The client had a time-critical problem, and I was tasked with finding a solution. Within the first week, I tackled the issue with an out-of-the-box approach that worked where others had struggled. The results spoke for themselves: the client extended my engagement for over seven and a half years, involving me in every major project.

Why did they keep me around for so long? Here’s what I brought to the table:

1. Creative Problem-Solving: I quickly identified solutions that had eluded the client.
2. Ownership: I fully embraced responsibility for every project I was assigned.
3. Respect: I valued the client’s time and adhered to their organizational structure.
4. Active Listening: I sought to understand their needs and asked meaningful questions that addressed both immediate concerns and broader contexts.
5. Holistic Thinking: I connected the dots to identify and address potential blind spots beyond the immediate scope.
6. Clear Communication: By blending technical and functional language with a touch of humor, I reduced tension and improved collaboration.
7. Client-Centric Approach: I prioritized their success and long-term partnership over short-term metrics like billable hours.

The Results

Since then, I’ve worked with numerous clients and always maintained this approach. Here’s what I’ve observed:

1. Corporate Politics: Allowing internal politics or drama to seep into client relationships almost always leads to tension and failure. Maintaining integrity and focusing on shared goals fosters trust and collaboration.
2. Leadership by Example: Demonstrating accountability, respect, and positivity creates a ripple effect. It not only strengthens client relationships but also elevates team dynamics and corporate culture.
3. Creating Safe Spaces: Encouraging a supportive and transparent environment empowers teams and builds deeper connections that transcend the “job” mentality.

Final Thoughts

There’s so much more to say, but I’ll leave it here for now. If you’ve made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read. I hope these reflections inspire you to think about your own approach and offer ideas you can apply to your success.

If you find this helpful, feel free to like, comment, share, and repost it to help others who might benefit from it.

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Here’s the link to the previous post: https://eksperts.net/speaking-of-being-passionately-curious/

Why work with Eksperts when there are those larger consulting firms?!

Eksperts try harder to build long term relationships and not driven by stock prices and profit margins!

#clientadvocate #clientsuccess #clientrelationship #consulting #humuor

We’ve been working on a few things.

New product Coming this summer. Hopefully sooner!

#new #product #integration #implementation #software #comingsoon #announcement #transformation

We’ve been working on a few things.

New product coming this summer. Hopefully sooner!

#new #product #integration #implementation #software #comingsoon #announcement #transformation

What does John Paul Jones, the bass/keyboard/musician of Led Zeppelin, have to do with the professional corporate world and project teams, or even climbing a mountain?

Hear me out.

Recently, I was listening to my music in random mode and the song No Quarter by Led Zeppelin (live 1973) came on and it shows how much of a positive influence John Paul Jones has on the rest of the band.

Even if you do not like Led Zeppelin, try to listen to their music to try to understand why people talk about them as a pivotal band to introduce a blended sound, genre, and style (rock, blues, jazz etc.).

The three other band members are all very talented and shine on their own. However, notice how John Paul Jones lays a foundation of groove and melody so the other three have the blanket to deliver their best. As a band member his focus, without any ego, is to serve the song, the other band members and in turn the listeners’ experience.

Similarly, every team will shine when there is at least one team member focused on the success of the team and project without any ego and ulterior motive. This was one of the main lessons I learned early on in my career. Every project and team I work with, my focus is always to serve the end result of successful project and satisfied client. Make sure that the experience is positive, memorable, and everyone learns something and improves.

Let us help you and your team climb those mountains and help you shine.

“Help someone climb a mountain and find out that you too reached the top.”

#teamwork #support #music #climb #shine #foundation #implementation

And now for something completely different.

As a client-side advocate, I have had this happen too many times to keep count.

Years ago, a close contact from the implementation group of a software and services partner reached out to me asking me to join a call with a client who had been struggling to engage on an implementation project. They had already signed a contract to implement their latest software/services offering. However, they were unhappy with the assigned team and concerned about the implementation.

The first two calls were an introductory and a deeper dive. I was getting familiar with the client and gathering information. The issue with the first two calls was that the implementation team leads were still the same people, and the client was unsatisfied. On the third call, I started to share some of my insights from my previous experience implementing this product/services. I took time to break down the effort by week of what is expected from the client and what will happen. This prompted a healthy dialog between the client and I. Level setting expectations and providing clear insights on risks and timeline of events. This prompted the client to tell the partner that they would only go ahead with the project with me, and my team, to be assigned to the project as the client-side advocate and advisor. This was unanimously agreed upon.

What are the takeaways from this real-life experience story?

• Manage key stakeholders effectively by developing buy-in, identifying roles, and allocating resources.
• Adopt an agile approach to project management that allows for feedback loops, planning, and reassessment.
• Understand user stories and align them to the scope of the project.
• Understand the systems landscape and the integration requirements.
• Provide adequate training and enablement for the end-users.
• Avoid long implementations that increase the risk of management changes and project cancellation.
• Document and apply lessons learned from past projects to improve best practices.

When you are having challenges with your project, and need a client-side advocate to look out for you and help you navigate things forward, look no further. Reach out to us before it’s too late.

#implementation #clientsuccess #project #problemsolver #relationships #advocate

One of my first consulting tasks was to cover for someone who was going on vacation for a week, and I was to assist the client with data extractions and reporting. I was promised it would be an easy week.

Within a few days, I was called to the director’s office and asked to develop a program to extract all open job requisitions and publish them to the intranet, as well as those that remain unfilled, to the internet corporate website.

This occurred in late 1998. The enterprise application did not have any web features. The browser of choice was Netscape Navigator. The HTML standard was still in its infancy. I stood there for a few minutes, observing their facial expressions, and asked, “What’s the catch?” The Director grinned and added, “Your instincts are good. This is set to go online on Monday. Five days from now.” The Vice President of Human Resources jumped in, saying, “Money is no object. Use anything you need to install and set up.”

To say I panicked is an understatement. I needed to think outside the box and come up with a scalable and dependable solution. I sat at my desk and began leaning into my strengths, querying the database to become acquainted with the information. Then I began researching how I might convert the data into HTML websites.

I encountered too many barriers to list here. Limitations to the programming environment. Content development and administration were virtually non-existent. I worked almost nonstop till late Friday night and had figured out the solution.

The customer was so pleased and amazed that they decided to keep/extend me even after the individual returned from vacation. For more than 7 years. They put me on every other project they had, regardless of experience, because of my ability to never give up and solve problems swiftly with a scalable solution.

What are the takeaways from this real-life experience story?

• Be prepared to face unexpected difficulties and opportunities. I was asked to accomplish something that was not part of my original job, but I was prepared, accepted the challenge, and presented a solution quickly.
• Use your imagination and resourcefulness to solve challenges. Despite many technological limits and challenges, I was able to translate the data into websites and match the client’s needs.
• Never give up and keep learning. I worked around the clock and didn’t allow the pressure or intricacy of the challenge to deter me. I also benefited from the experience, enhancing my abilities and expertise.
• Develop trust and rapport with your customer. My efforts and results pleased the customer with my work and attitude, and I was rewarded with further contracts and extensions. I also built a long-term relationship with the client via mutual respect and satisfaction.

#implementation #clientsuccess #clientadvocate #problemsolver #clientrelationships #advocate