Can someone PLEASE come up with a new term for an ethical and skilled professional who is hired as a freelancer to provide expert opinion about how to genuinely improve a business operation and get legitimate results for the client?
Most consultants have made "consultant" a bad word. It really ticks me off to see what the plethora of inexperienced, unskilled, ignorant, and selfish out of work people who throw together a website and business cards have done to ruin an important and needed industry. It is pathetic and shameful!
The Small World Alliance team is currently working on a project and discovered that our client has hired a string of "consultants" previously, and each one bungled things so badly that the organization was in danger of going under. These "consultants" came in, dispensed poor advise, and then abandoned them while they struggled to implement the badly-designed plan.
Unfortunately, my team seems to find ourselves "cleaning up" after these corporate rejects fail to meet their lofty promises. Why doesn't someone invent some kind of corporate stun gun to jolt these "consultants" to their senses? I would pay dearly (and take a LOT of personal satisfaction) to start using it on these people.
Let's unite and begin to hold these people accountable. Spread the word about poor performance and broken promises! Let's all commit to due diligence before investing in someone to come in - make sure they have the background, experience, and the passion to deliver real results, especially in these difficult times!
And please, PLEASE...call me first (the "anti-consultant")...not AFTER these "consultants" have made things worse. You - and your entire organization - deserves better.
Think about it...but more importantly, act on it...today!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
NOT one of the gang...
Ah...the air travel process. Many complaints have been launched since 9/11 and the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) was launched. Critics accuse the people who work for the TSA to be morons, imbeciles, or idiots (do NOT get me going on these terms...) For my clients, I travel hundreds of thousands of air miles a year. Just yesterday, I returned from Europe and saw a distinct difference between the Holland/England security teams and the United States teams.
Upon arriving in the U.S., I passed through a group of six (yes, SIX) TSA workers positioned at the end of the X-Ray machine. No one acknowledged me as I repacked my laptop and gathered my luggage. They were far too busy talking among themselves and joking about some personal situation. I then noted what I believe to be the real problem when I realized that one of the six was actually their supervisor...and HE was participating in the crude joking.
All leaders are role models whether they like it or not. This particular leader was leading his team toward 1. ignoring the customer, 2. inappropriate communication, 3. inefficient execution of job/process/their purpose. What truly irritates travelers in these (unfortunately, common) situations is how none of them were adding value to the situation. It becomes obvious that the more important priority of this entire group of ON THE CLOCK workers was...their personal discussion - not the traveling public's need.
It appears that they are not stupid...they simply aren't aware or don't care enough in these circumstances. No accountability = no account OF ability. All led by their supervisor who was modeling the ineffective behavior.
Are you doing more/better within YOUR work team? What behaviors are YOU modeling?
Think about it...but more importantly, act on it...today!
Upon arriving in the U.S., I passed through a group of six (yes, SIX) TSA workers positioned at the end of the X-Ray machine. No one acknowledged me as I repacked my laptop and gathered my luggage. They were far too busy talking among themselves and joking about some personal situation. I then noted what I believe to be the real problem when I realized that one of the six was actually their supervisor...and HE was participating in the crude joking.
All leaders are role models whether they like it or not. This particular leader was leading his team toward 1. ignoring the customer, 2. inappropriate communication, 3. inefficient execution of job/process/their purpose. What truly irritates travelers in these (unfortunately, common) situations is how none of them were adding value to the situation. It becomes obvious that the more important priority of this entire group of ON THE CLOCK workers was...their personal discussion - not the traveling public's need.
It appears that they are not stupid...they simply aren't aware or don't care enough in these circumstances. No accountability = no account OF ability. All led by their supervisor who was modeling the ineffective behavior.
Are you doing more/better within YOUR work team? What behaviors are YOU modeling?
Think about it...but more importantly, act on it...today!
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