In the mid-1990s I came to London from Edinburgh to cut my consultancy teeth. I worked with a private firm of business psychologists best known for their success in transforming customer service and managing change. The principles involved in these crucial aspects of business operate at the core of everything I do: creative companies with great ideas need to consult and take their staff, partners and customers with them as they progress from A to B; and organisations, new projects or ways of working are more likely to succeed if they’re focussed on understanding the needs and motivations of their clients.
As an independent consultant, I have the freedom to be flexible in the way I work. Sometimes I provide an external, objective view to help crystallise ideas. At other times I work as part of a senior management team, or take sole responsibility for delivering a piece of work. I am sometimes asked to help teams to recover failing projects – taking stock, resolving conflict and creating a new action plan.
I only get involved with a client if there is a clear consultant need and I think I can help. At the outset, I like to spend time to clearly define our mutual expectations, the tasks involved and duration of the consulting engagement. I always aim to make myself redundant as soon as possible, transferring knowledge and skills along the way when needed.
I’m comfortable working at a strategic or operational level, and enjoy listening to and working with people involved in every aspect of an organisation, understanding how it functions as a whole.
How I do it
In the mid-1990s I came to London from Edinburgh to cut my consultancy teeth. I worked with a private firm of business psychologists best known for their success in transforming customer service and managing change. The principles involved in these crucial aspects of business operate at the core of everything I do: creative companies with great ideas need to consult and take their staff, partners and customers with them as they progress from A to B; and organisations, new projects or ways of working are more likely to succeed if they’re focussed on understanding the needs and motivations of their clients.
As an independent consultant, I have the freedom to be flexible in the way I work. Sometimes I provide an external, objective view to help crystallise ideas. At other times I work as part of a senior management team, or take sole responsibility for delivering a piece of work. I am sometimes asked to help teams to recover failing projects – taking stock, resolving conflict and creating a new action plan.
I only get involved with a client if there is a clear consultant need and I think I can help. At the outset, I like to spend time to clearly define our mutual expectations, the tasks involved and duration of the consulting engagement. I always aim to make myself redundant as soon as possible, transferring knowledge and skills along the way when needed.
I’m comfortable working at a strategic or operational level, and enjoy listening to and working with people involved in every aspect of an organisation, understanding how it functions as a whole.
Please read on to find out more about why I love working in this sector.