Corn, beef, oil, bandwidth. These are commodities. They are homogeneous items that can be traded and exchanged, bought and sold in bulk. Should consultancy be a commodity? Is your value indistinguishable from another consultant? Corn is corn, but your value proposition must be unique – Moreover, clients deserve the benefit of a customized, non-commoditized approach to their projects.
We have all heard that some people cannot “see the forest for the trees.” We become so consumed with details that we can’t see the big picture. But we need people who can see the forest, and those who can see the trees. We need those who can narrow in, and those who can zoom out. We need people to look at technicalities, and those who can look at softer issues. A narrow, limited project approach creates unsustainability. Taking a multi-dimensional approach to projects, and reviews, is essential so we don’t lose sight of what’s important, or of the details that will help us get there.
We have a habit of getting in our own way, don’t we? David Courtney Boyle, author and economist, writes, “[T]he human factor is regarded as a pernicious source of error. People mess things up. They get ill, have tantrums, and they make the most humungous mistakes.” You simply can’t quantify people. There will always be uncertainty; we don’t know how they understand, how they interpret, what their levels of fear or comfort are. People are a project’s biggest obstacle. But as Boyle adds, “human beings are also the only real source of success and the only source of genuine change.” Project reviews allow us to continually check on teams, to take their pulse – and hopefully prevent a few tantrums all around.
“A man should never be appointed to a managerial position if his vision focuses on people’s weaknesses rather than on their strengths. The man who always knows what people cannot do, but never sees what they can do, will undermine the spirit of the organization. Of course, a manager should have a clear grasp of the limitations of his people, but he should see these as limitations on what they can do, and as a challenge to them to do better.” – Peter Drucker
The purpose of a Centre of Excellence (COE) approach is a repository of knowledge, templates, and best practices that allow projects, and people to succeed. It is about lessons learned. The goal is to highlight what works and the best way to approach challenges. Employees do not feel chastised, but proud; they contribute rather than detract. This can be a tremendously motivating factor for employees and teams, and a powerful advantage for organizations.
There’s an old joke that goes, “What’s an auditor? Someone who arrives after the battle and bayonets all the wounded.” Whether we are being audited by a tax agent or by an internal or external auditor at work, it can be a thoroughly nerve-wracking experience. We think this bayonet-wielding – or checklist-wielding – auditor has come in for just one reason: to find noncompliance. The only way to survive is to be perfect – so we’re all doomed! “Audit” certainly is a four-letter word in our parlance, but if we can shift that paradigm, we can start to reap some benefits beyond compliance.
