One question that I get every so often from clients, colleagues and acquaintances is whether or not consulting is a “lonely business”. Those who aren’t familiar with the routine of the consultant can’t imagine the balancing act of developing business, delivering work and focusing on professional development all at the same time. It’s not for everybody…and it’s also what you make of it.

During the past 11 years, I’ve had the pleasure of offering business consulting services to huge companies (IBM, Sun and Pfizer), non profit organizations (like EDC, Inc.) and startups (like tvCompass and RampRate Inc.). I have to say that each engagement has had one thing in common - teaming and collaboration. It’s impossible to understand a client’s current situation and desired outcome without becoming immersed in their organization. And in order to deliver business management and consulting services, it’s usually important to interact with the client, their suppliers, employees, and partners. I find that business management consulting is anything but lonely!

It dawned on me recently that the most energizing aspect of the work that I do is collaborating with others. On any given day, I might interact with other members of the Institute of Management Consultants (IMCNE) to create a press release for an event or a survey for the membership. On another day, I wear my marketing consulting hat and pull together a cross-functional team at a client site to walk through a strategic planning exercise for 2009. By the end of the week, I may be participating in an online meeting with a client and their key sales managers as we develop sales training workshops for even more teams within the organization.

Is professional consulting a lonely business? Not at all - if you do it well!

In these crazy economic times, don’t lose focus of some business basics that can help keep your organization on track:

1. Update your plans.
Now’s a good time to take a look at your goals for the rest of 2008 and refresh your business planning. Take a look at your sales funnel, and closely examine whether or not it needs adjustment. Have customers put off purchasing until next year? Have any of your prospects indicated a significant shift in their business? What’s the current buyer behavior and has it changed? Are your sales, management and operations plans up to date?

2. Encourage a “We rise and fall together” culture.
It’s often true that there’s safety in numbers, so encourage your team and the rest of the organization to look at positive, thoughtful ways to get handle the current economic climate. Engage the organization to work together with a team challenge, for example, to come up with five new ways to improve productivity.

3. Reach out and touch someone.
Shifts in global economic and business markets are often a great conversation starter. Over the past several weeks, I’ve received calls from vendors and suppliers who were “just checking in” to see how my business was running. It’s always wise to keep communications open with prospects and clients, in good times and in challenging ones.

4. One person’s trash is another’s treasure.
I’ve often heard this saying applied to garage sales, and it can also apply to your business. Look for competitors who may abandon market segments where you can fill a need; take another look at customers that may be underserved. Can you reposition your products or services in a new or different way to appeal to this audience?

5. Leading change = Lead by example
In an interview with Fred Hassan, CEO of Shering-Plough, The Harvard Business Review assesses the work that’s been done to transform that organization. The primary focus has been on regaining the “top line” - the sales organization - as a key value driver. Since 2003, the focus has been on salesforce performance, relationship building with physicians and leveraging the sales management team to extend the company’s vision to its selling organization. Within your organization, now is a good time to lead change that can have longlasting impact.

I usually find it helpful to use a “Thoughtstarter” to get the juices flowing when I work with clients on business planning.  This simple tool prompts discussion and interaction….

Vision Exercise

This is “what” you aspire to as an organization. “A vision statement is a vivid idealized description of a desired outcome that inspires, energizes and helps you create a mental picture of your target.” (timethoughts, inc.).  Example: Microsoft’s vision is: “A personal computer in every home running Microsoft software.”  The vision should energize and inspire your team.

Mission for Your Organization

This is “how” you are going to accomplish your vision. Take a look at your current mission if you have one. Does it still apply? How has your business changed since you created this mission?

Value

This is how you’re going to differentiate yourself from the competition. What are the products and services and intangibles that lead your customers and suppliers to do business with you? How do you demonstrate and measure this value? More importantly, how/why is this different than what’s on the market today?

Plans

What are actions that you’ll take to implement the vision and mission and to promote the value that you bring? Set timeframes and key milestones for each action.

Document each discussion and each iteration of Vision, Mission, Value and Plans. Use this as a compass to guide your planning activities.

I recently hiked two 4,000-foot peaks in the White Mountains.  This may not seem like a big deal to many, however I have a fear of heights that seems to be progressing over time.  The Bourne Bridge brings sweaty palms, and the Golden Gate is almost insurmountable.  Regardless, I decided to join in on a trip in the White Mountains, thinking,  “How difficult could this be”? Note: there’s a big difference between walking or running 7 miles and hiking 7 miles!

Call it blind faith or dumb luck….here are a few things that I learned from this endeavor that aren’t all that different than Business Lessons Learned:

• Lesson 1: Start with a Committed (and Experienced) Team
  When I agreed to go on this hike, I knew that I would be in the company of a group of people who were more experienced than I was - one of our companions was looking to complete his list of “4,000’ Peaks Climbed”.  In fact, the reason that I had signed up for this hike was to join a friend of mine – a nice way to spend a Saturday, right? When we arrived at the trailhead, it was cold, damp, foggy and rainy (and about 30 degrees). Two of our members (including my friend) opted to stay back and enjoy a warm fire and lunch and drinks at a nearby restaurant.  I decided to continue on and do the hike with 6 other strangers.  After all, it was only 7 miles, the rain had stopped and I figured we’d be home before dinner.
  
• Lesson 2: Be Ready for the Pitfalls
  As we prepared to embark on our journey, each hiker outlined their thoughts about the upcoming adventure.  The experienced hikers talked about routes, rain, wind, and fog. The novices (like me) talked about bathroom facilities, warm clothes and lunch. We were all anxious to get started.  Little did we know what was ahead of us.  John Assaraf of “The Secret” fame (www.johnassaraf.com) describes the road to achievement and self development much like driving a car in the dark: you may not be able to see what lies beyond the range of your headlights, but as you come closer, you can see more clearly. We were ready.
  
• Lesson 3: Take Things as They Come
  Our hike was planned to cover (2) 4,000 foot peaks in the White Mountains: Mt. Osceola and its counterpart, East Osceola. We scaled the first peak and move forward in somewhat challenging conditions.  Stepping over rocks, attempting to stay on eroded paths, we encountered unpredictable trail conditions that were affected by the weather.  At each turn and elevation, the terrain presented a new challenge (especially for the novices in the group, like me), and we plodded long, chattering the entire way. I noticed that when the chatter stopped, the terrain became more treacherous – a sign that I needed to pay more attention to what was ahead of me.
  
• Lesson 4:  Find Your Own Pace
  The hiking group was comprised of novice and seasoned hikers alike.  As time went on, the more seasoned hikers trudged ahead of the rest of the group, acting like scouts who returned to report what was ahead.  It was not unusual for others in the group to drop back and wait for those of us who moved more slowly across the challenging terrain. We developed a kind of rhythm throughout the day, with smaller groups moving together, each at our own pace.
  
• Lesson 5: Celebrate Your Wins
  When we reached the top of the first peak, one of my fellow hikers opened his backpack and then cracked open a bottle of Moet champagne.  Although he had been through these mountains many times before, he realized that for many of us this was our first time.  We raised a glass and celebrated our first victory as we moved cautiously downhill to the second awaiting peak.
  
• Lesson 6: If You’re Not Prepared, Improvise
  Ignorance is bliss, and traveling with experienced hikers is definitely the way to go.  In retrospect, I probably could have been more prepared for the “simple 7 mile hike in the White Mountains”, but we improvised along the way.  My fleece jacket became a towel after a while (we were thoroughly drenched from start to finish).  I borrowed two walking sticks from another hiker (he had brought an extra pair).  And I learned what it means to be a “tree hugger” as I grabbed any branch in sight while sliding down a 45 foot incline.
  
• Lesson 7: When in Doubt, Keep Going
  Throughout the day, it never occurred to me to turn back, and in retrospect, I guess we only stopped twice. At times, some of my fellow hikers questioned the availability of daylight and argued about which paths to take. When the compasses came out, I was a bit nervous, but we appeared to stay on course. There was a critical point where we might have retreated and called it a day – the point of no return. Nonetheless, we moved forward.
  
• Lesson 8: Never Underestimate How Long Things Take
  The hiking guides estimated that our trip should be completed (under normal conditions) in six hours, and it took us nine hours.  When we started, we didn’t have a clear understanding of all of the variables that would affect our progress: fog, rain, slippery terrain, eroded trails, and slower hikers. By the time we returned, our friends were about to contact the state police to report us missing. Would we do it again? Sure. And this time we’re so much wiser!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had face-to-face interactions with people in a number of business situations: training a group of executives from a West African nation; participating in a networking workshop with fellow consultants;  facilitating a sales meeting with a medium-sized client.  In each of these situations, the topic of social networking came up. In each of these situations, the discussions varied widely…with one major theme: What does business have to do with social networking, anyway?  Here is one consultant’s perspective on the topic:

Getting in and getting on

What you share about yourself online is up to you. Some people simply restate their resumes or CVs. Others use the social networking forum to share information about their interests and goals. Keep in mind that when you note that you are interested in getting touch with people for job opportunities that your employer or colleagues may also see that information.

Getting the most out of social networking

In addition to getting your virtual self on the internet, social networking has the following benefits:

·         Get a job or a contract: some networks have job postings that you can access either free or for a fee;

·         Get a referral or a testimonial from someone you know;

·         Research your competition;

·         Prepare for a job interview by understanding the background of your interviewer(s);

·         Learn about a prospect’s business;

·         Investigate business, research, and industry trends;

Keeping current

It’s important to keep your profile up to date. Just completed a professional certification class? Add it to your profile. Signed up for volunteer work? Add that too.

Tying online and offline networking together

Now that you’re tapped into a social network, how do you coordinate your online and offline networking activities? Here’s how: After each social or business gathering that you attend, make it a habit to log those collected business cards into your favorite contact database. Then, invite these new acquaintances to become part of your online network. You’d be surprised at how quickly your network will grow.

2008 marks two significant milestones for myself and my family: my daughter graduated from High School just last week, and my consulting firm, BLUE SAGE, enters its 11^th year. What better way to celebrate than to start blogging on my newly designed website?

It seems to me that building and running a business has a lot in common with going through and graduating from High School:

It’s a team effort

When you think about the number of teachers, administrators and coaches that are involved in getting our children through their elementary and secondary education, it really is a team effort. I compare it to the team that I work with year in and year out – the “professionals” – my accountant, financial planner, attorney, and the “support group” – mentors, colleagues and peers.  Each of them have a role in getting me to think, challenge and create a better business than the year before. And my business wouldn’t be where it is today, without them.

Strive for perfection, and accept excellence

My daughter has reinforced my theory that being excellent is a good thing, and being perfect is overrated. She strives for excellence academically, in sports (lacrosse and soccer), and with her personal relationships, and does the absolute best that she can do. In my business, I have learned that there are many ways to do a project “well”. I’ve also learned that some clients are a better fit for my business than others. Some difficult decisions to balance “perfection” vs. “excellence” have led to some good business lessons that I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else.

The journey is the reward

With a diploma on the mantle and a college acceptance letter in hand, it would be easy to forget that the steps along the way have been the true reward.  BLUE SAGE started in 1997 and has grown over the years, just like my child. Each step in her academic, athletic and social development has brought new learning, entertainment and experiences. Every client that I work with brings different challenges and a chance to “do something new”.

The best is yet to come

These days, many businesses profess that “it’s slow out there”, and point to the doom and gloom articles in business and popular press.  I believe that the best is yet to come.  I look at my daughter and remember (strangely, in a vivid way) what I felt like when I graduated high school and prepared for “the rest of my life”. I remember thinking that there was nothing I couldn’t do. Thirty years later, I guess I still think that there is nothing that I can’t do. Now, though, it’s in the context of a business, and a family. For her, though, the world is her oyster. 

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