Having built and run a successful consulting practice for a late stage technology startup, I’ve been asked by many peers, associates, and colleagues to describe the methodology and approach that we utilized.  Although attention was paid to forms of governance, operational and reporting infrastructures, and delivery resource management, success came from a very simple formula and ideology.  Primarily, it derived from the idea that people need to be intrinsically self motivated to want to perform well (Pink, D. H. (2009)). Additionally, people needed to want our clients to be successful in their respective businesses.  If you could achieve that in your consultants (self motivated + client success focus) the business would excel through any other areas of deficiency.

Early on, I created a mission statement entitled “The 7 Goals of Consulting”, that we all lived by.  It provided a unifying framework for the team to rally around and led to our highest levels of client satisfaction, services renewals, testimonials, and new business.  Below are the 7 Goals.  I encourage you to think about which of these you strive towards today, and which you could adopt tomorrow.

The 7 Goals of Consulting

1. To creatively and diligently help our clients become as successful as possible.
2. To give our clients our utmost attention so they feel supported and confident.
3. Meticulously detail and record our solutions and our progress. Ensure that our advice is persistent and can be recalled, reused, and aid in learning.
4. Help our colleagues secure new clients and new consulting opportunities for our team.
5. Strive to master our technologies and be experts in our craft and our clients’ industries.
6. To enable our colleagues to become as successful as possible. Take interest in others and help them flourish.
7. Balance the excitement, energy and focus we put into our company with the energy and focus we put into our families, health, and personal affairs.

How do we measure our goals?

• Client success: Based on all aspects within our influence, are our clients achieving their goals?
• Client satisfaction: Are our clients finding value with the advice, expertise, and deliverables we bring them? Are we giving them the attention they require?
• Client expertise: Are we teaching our clients how to excel and continuously improve?
• New clients and opportunities: Are we actively helping our colleagues to secure new clients and opportunities?
• Mastery: Are we striving to be the best at our craft and to learn as much as possible about what interests us and what will help us excel?
• Leadership: Are we fostering the advancement and expertise of our colleagues; leading them to successful and satisfying careers?
• Balance: Do we start and end each day excited with what we will achieve and what we have achieved?

How should we best use our time?

To maximize the successful nature of our work, we should devote 75% percent of our time to our client work and 25% of our time to company work & personal growth. How you spend the time is up to you and should be consistent with our goals.

1. Pink, D. H. (2009). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.