What happens when you bring five experienced CMCs together to talk about how their practice is changing in these disruptive times?
Attendees to CMC-Ontario’s AGM on September 27, 2017 were treated to a panel on management consulting in a disruptive age. The chair of the evening, Lyn McDonell CMC, kicked off the topic by referencing a recent article in the Globe and Mail entitled “The Canada we want in 2030 must be debated today” reporting a recent study revealing Canadian are uncertain regarding the impact of disruptive technologies on individuals, communities, business and governments and suggesting Corporate and public leadership must understand and address these issues. She then turned things over to Jan Klakurka CMC, from Huron University College and the Rotman School of Management who introduced the panellists:
Maureen McKenna CMC, is a leader in Canada in the field of Appreciative Inquiry, Rick Findlay CMC an Environment Consultant & Entrepreneur, Debbie Baxter CMC Vice President at Deloitte Real Estate, G. Mark Towhey, CMC broadcaster and political strategist, and Stefan Piech, CMC leading a non-traditional firm network in the mining, real-estate and technology/fintech sectors. Here are the highlights:
How the disruption is changing consulting:
- Mark talked about how he uses his army training to problem solve and adapt as he moves forward. Knowing and drilling into the real client objectives allows him to build unique solutions for clients.
- Debbie explained that at her workplace at Deloitte much is changing, saying if the nature of work has changed, then we must change too, particularly with technology. “Turn in your office for a headset and backpack! Get comfortable with the fact that – except for the receptionist – no one at your company has assigned seating.”
- Maureen has realized that her work with young entrepreneurs keeps her in a constant learning mode. The younger generation likes the model of consulting as they don’t want to be tied down.
Other thoughts were:
- Be open to the multitude of new IT systems and applications out there today and take advantage of them.
- More than ever, in a very fast timeframe, consultants must have the answers and provide good value.
- Given all that is changing, consultants must be on top and provide forward-thinking, creative solutions -- such as leasing light instead of buying lightbulbs!
- Clients have been the disruptors themselves in management consulting.
What shift is necessary for consultants to stay relevant and add value:
Rick talks to clients frequently about speed and applies it to his own practice. He pulls together information from different areas and applies it to client needs -- that’s what he is focusing on, not hours and per diems.
Stefan has realized that CEOs use management consultants because they don’t have time to think through the issues - a huge part of the value is organizing the information and opportunities, providing that clarity.
Debbie Baxter emphasized the relationship and understanding the client’s issues. Real estate brokers were once the sole custodians of all real estate property information, and today information online. So the value proposition for brokers had to shift to the relationship with the client. She sees management consulting as being increasingly disrupted by technology.
Maureen spoke to how management consultants need to move from “experts” to “growers” of the capacity of clients to deal with their issues. She recommended “Humble Consulting: How to Provide Real Help Faster” by Edgar H. Schein, a former professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, sharing from it Schein’s insight that management consulting requires a new attitude of humility, a commitment to helping, and curiosity.
How the profession stays relevant, and with what new competencies:
Mark explained that we need to figure out the balance between specialization and being generalists. This creates a huge opportunity for the professional organization of CMC-Ontario and CMC-Canada to grow. Then we need to demonstrate what is different about being a certified management consultant.
Stefan sees generalists as the most prized. One can be a specialist (say in IT) and be pigeon-holed, but of real assistance to clients are consultants who can see across the disciplines and plug into different specializations. Management consultants have to be more hybrid these days.
Maureen talked about consultants being less assured with their own answers and being more like guides with clients. To be able to step out of that expert role, the profession has to learn some new skills -- more sensing and responding.
Rick shared his take: that there is such a great need for thorough research and quick-time delivery, and because other disruptors are coming from so many sources, the profession has to get on top of figuring out the methodologies to pull everything together.
Mark said we must train people to drill down and understand what clients really need. “The thing is they think they know --- but they often do not. Uber found a better way to get us somewhere – as management consultants we need to be creative and to find similar solutions that meet the real needs of clients.”
Other specific tools and competencies noted:
- Application development and coding.
- Use technology and tie that to people skills.
- Learning new things efficiently and as quickly as possible.
- Listening and clearly understanding the client by stepping into their shoes.
Advice for consultants:
The panellists offered some final advice:
- Find out your client’s real needs and deliver on that.
- Use tools and methods but be nimble, flexible and resilient.
- Be a consummate learner. Don’t stop learning.
- Be empathetic to clients and find out what their problem is – it’s about problem solving to help them to define what they need.
A CMC-Canada member in attendance summed up the discussions very well - “One can’t manage change, but change can manage you.”
Thank you to the moderator and all panellists for their insight this session.
--
About the Author
Heather Terrence is a Certified Association Executive (CAE), a senior operations leader and governance specialist with over 20 years of experience with non-profit organizations. Heather has recently served as Corporate Secretary to the CMC-Ontario Council.
