Monthly Archives: December 2017

TNF #116: Leaving the comfort zone

Welcome Professionals…

…Top management consultants must explore new frontiers!

No matter how professional as an expert you are, you may want to continuously reach out to new areas, new projects, new clients that are out of your inner circle in order to extend your knowledge, expertise, and influence. This requires leaving the comfort zone and it is always hard to push oneself beyond these boundaries.

I encourage everyone to practice leaving the comfort zone in private and recreational setups. To try something new, learn a new skill or to embarrass yourself in front of friends and family is much more comfortable than doing it in a business environment. By regularly moving the private comfort zone it also becomes easier in extending frontiers in business life.

Therefore, I make it a habit to learn new skills in sports and music and to ridicule myself in front of others like for instance singing in public. The awkwardness of the moment is actually a good tell that I am leaving the comfort zone. Over time, this process builds up resilience to also take risks in a professional context.

Let’s cross the frontiers!

Malte

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TNF #115: Be generous

Welcome Professionals…

…We want to add extraordinary value to our client organizations. That is what we all are striving for as top management consultants. Of course, a premium value has to come at a premium price point. As a matter of fact, the high price premium a client is willing to pay and the commitment that it shows will be one driving factor for a succcesful implementation.

So, we do not want to give away our service for free and yet there are situations when it pays off to be generous. If this act of generosity is well-placed it will have a major effect on building trust.

My most recent example occurred today. I was getting together with a CEO to kick off a new project. The contract had been negotiated with his staff and they had advised him to sign it. It was in front of him, he was already holding his pen in his hands.

“You know, the contract is agreed by the responsible department head and procurement. It is well written and also fine with me. There is just one thing I don’t quite understand.” He paused. Then he pointed to one paragraph. “Why is there an extra-charge for this specific service?” I explained it to him. He said: “Alright, I see your point, but some competitors of yours do that for free.”

He took his pen to sign the contract. “Wait”, I said, “let’s cross out this paragraph. Let’s get this out of the way.” He was really surprised by this generous act. He would have signed the contract anyway. So why give in?

What then followed was an intense briefing on the project in which the CEO communicated in a very open-hearted way. He commented on his personal values and even shared some of his own weaknesses. This is not possible without some fundamental trust. I am sure that the generous concession I made was a deposit on the trust account.

We cannot expect an immediate effect like this. True generosity means giving something without expecting anything in return. Only then, the generous act is eligible to build trustful, long-term relationships.

It’s Christmas time so let’s be generous,

Malte

TNF #114: Clutter on my mind

Welcome Professionals…

…I had almost forgotten how good it feels. For months I had known that it is time for this. My wife does it regularly, but I tend to shy away from it.

I am talking about throwing stuff away. Getting rid of things that are not in use. Many of us – myself included – hold on to these things because they could be of use in a future situation.

What if I put on wheight? Then I might need the old pants which don’t fit me today. What if it is very bad weather day? Maybe then I want to wear the old shabby suit. What if we will all return to Blackberry technology one day…..- this is what is holding me back from removing clutter.

When I finally did remove non-used items in my home office and my wardrobe rigorously, it really made me happy. This is actually a finding that the famous author Gretchen Rubin talks a lot about in her bestseller “Happiness Project”.

Since the objective of this blog is to make top management consultants more successful and not just happier, let me point towards another overservation. What I also felt was more clarity of thought. It felt like removing some clutter in my environment also cleared up some structures in my head.

It is a no brainer that removing clutter helps to stay organized and by that means will enhance effectiveness. On top of that, there is a psychological effect. Letting go of physical clutter will enhance to let go of cluttered thoughts. Creating structure in our environment will enhance structured thinking.

Try it, next time you are stuck, clean up a cupboard or a drawer!

Malte