Don’t call us “consultants”

I recently tried to reason on why some colleagues seem to experience a sort of  ”rage” and discomfort in their communication with the company.

Any time an official communication reaches our inbox, they “reply to all” with clear resentment.  In other occasion, they broadcast unpolitely a rude mail which sounds as a “call for company presence feedback”.

Some colleague guessed this could have been a matter of jealousy and rage coming from the “labeling pyramid” that our human resources calls “career path”. In short, a consultant complains for not being a technical consultant, who in turn complains for not being a professional consultant, who complains for not being a senior consultant, or a principal consultant and so on.

This makes sense. But what if the wrong word is consultant, and not the preamble labelling?

In other words the question is: “is it correct to call time&material resources as consultants?” Could this misnomer be the real reason for diffuse murmuring and discomfort?

If we look at consultant target, this can be summarized as a “shot term goal: solving a client issue in order to be paid as much as possible for the shortest intervention time possible”. And I would add “…then move to the next contract asking for higher fees”.

This is a high demanding but also high rewarding mission.

Let’s look now into a (open-ended)time&material rented resource, formerly (or mistakenly) named as consultant? She has a “long term goal:  convincing the client to undefinely procrastinate the contract end, by doing a day by day routine as like a client employee, but a little better in order to be indispensable”.

That said, it jumps out immediately how opposite these focuses are: rapid situation enhancement vs maintaining status quo.

In order to be (partially) immune from this contradictory identity conflict, it is fundamental that every time&material contract is doped with an innovation mission, even if this could mean reducing and not augmenting the required resource number. Which unfortunately won’t help your career jump.

For those who are engaged in repetitive, well established (and com’ on, be honest, also a bit boring) contracts, I would recommend to reconsider the use of “consulting” word, and to not make too distance between what they really do and what’s on the company’s presentation program.

… and the world will be as one

The company I work for is in the consulting business. This means that the core of its business is selling engineering consultancy to other companies.

In order to do that, my company defines its business goals by setting objectives and a plan of milestones. These are shared from time to time, especially short before a new business year is about to start.

Inside business goals reside business challenges. They are mostly in managers mind. Once reached, challenges is fuel for fixing more demanding and “challenging” goals.

My company delivers what are usually defined as … deliverables. Deliverables are each company employee output which is somehow accepted by the client as something we should be paid for.

Back to real life, who defines company business goals (and dreams of challenges) knows little or nothing about deliverables being produced. Who delivers, most of the times cannot name company current goals, or remembers the past years goals, or sometimes confuse goals with “makin money”.  Managers and engineers have often no clear understanding of company core business, the way it is changing in time, nor is aware of market (difficulties and opportunities) of the core business.

I tried to imagine a “semiseria” hypothetical interview to a manager and a colleague respectively.  I wonder why having in common the employer, the core business and challenges seems often not enough .

Q: What’s the core business of the company you work for?

Manager: ” the core business in consulting and innovation, finding solutions for client needs “

Engineer: ” the core business is telco, electronics…automotive too, several…any business you can sell consulting”

Q: Please name major goals of your company for the next three months?

Manager: ” We need to increase our revenues of X%, incrementing our business units with at least Y units. We need to reallocate employees who currently have no project reducing the interproject rate of Z%”

Engineer: ” Uh…well I perfectly know what I must deliver for my client, I can tell you exactely all milestones of each of the client canvass…”

Q: Last internal and external deliverable?

Manager: ” I sent my boss a detailed report mapping our presence and competences among clients I am responsible for. I sent a client a detailed quotation for a possible turn key”

Engineer: “I……sent my manager a couple of slides about what my daily routine is.

As for the client, I just completed a software acceptance last night, a new platform for our client is up and running and it has been great!”

Q: Please name one company challenge and one personal job challenge.

Manager: “Lead Telco consulting market in one year. Become a Business Unit Senior manager”

Engineer: “Placing more consultants..? As for myself… earning more money?”

Bundling vs. Inventing

Google TV is expected to come with the TV hardware itself.  It will be part of the Android extension for TVs.

For people not willing to replace the recently bought TV, the solution will probably be yet another Set-top-box.

I have seen many friends go buying an iPad and immediately trying to watch their Apple TV programs on

their tablet. I wonder if this application will actually drive Android for Google TV development into what I call the

TV replicants, i.e. all kidn of Android devices like tablets.

TV had huge troubles in jumping into the phone. Phone is still far from jumping into TV.

But maybe that could really be the way. Maybe this time…

ADSL reached the TV, leaving the voice call still separated. Voice had been already “bundled” into PC with Internet VoIP.

(To me there is no reason for not imaging the TV “bundle” including the headset for calling. All in all, TV controller has numbers on it.)

We had TV, we had phones, and we had the Internet.

Several rich guys  showing on a big white board a presentation on how they had the good idea of putting them togheter.

What are we inventing here? Nothing.

Just  (still) mixing things, making separate world of users meeting togheter, exchanging products, enlarging the customer base.

We are “powering” things adding other services, thanks to connectivity. They call it the “Internet of things”.

It’s a massive attempt to create something interesting using well known products.

But the magic ingredient is still missing.

When the first car was presented, the first flight took off, the first book was opened.

When the first heavy huge mobile has been installed with difficulties in a car, consuming its battery.

When I bought my first digital camera, with no need to be careful on how I shoot, just click and eventually delete.

We got something new.

We used it.

It changed our lives.

Forever.

When I bought my casio with altimeter sensor and bearing, it didn’t change my life. Nor when I first had a chat on my mobile, or listened to mp3 in my car.

Having a device on my bike telling me whether it is going to rain or not, won’t change my life either.

Yes, manufacturers rely on the fact we can find it cool, and maybe worth spending some money on this.

But we are Technical Engineers. We should not just love technology, we should eat, breathe, and RUN engineering.

But we are “fake” inventors. We are just “bundlers”.

Consultants, not Inventors for hire

I have got a friend.

He is smart. And clever. And brainy. And visionary. And imaginative. And creative.

He had a great idea a couple of years ago. An idea worth thoundands euro. A complete gift to our client, who simply assigned him to program/project manage his idea, letting some others share the pie. Not even the crumbs for him.

But my friend, I told you, is smart. Too smart. He had another great idea.

This time he developed it, he prototyped it. He hasn’t slept for days, with the support of another colleague, working hard to prepare a workign demo. He presented it. Great success. So great that the client like it so much to commit his engineering team to develop it. So much to include screenshots of my friend’s demo in the product requirement doc.

Unfortunately, once again the big pie is going to be served to another table.

My friend? Nothing, nada, niet.

I told you, my friend is smart. So smart and clever that he improves everyday.

After this experience he is now also wiser.

So wise that now he learned ideas need protection. Sharing it, is giving it away for free. Can he blame someone? I don’t think so, market is unfair. People are unfair.

That’s the reason why non-disclosure agreements exist. That’s the reason why there are legal agreement rather than gentlemen agreement.

If you can look farther than others you must do it overall, not just on the engineering perspective. You need to visualize the future of your idea, and protect it till it grows, till it can walk alone carrying you on its shoulders, letting you free to think something else.

Being FREE to invent is great. Inventing for FREE is dumb.

More or less

Greater value at lower cost.

Industry is asking for this, we need to spend less but we pretend same or better services from you!

Outsourcing and consulting firms are obviously trying to answer.

Greater value at lower cost is a common slogan not only under recession.

Signs outside furniture shops, supermarket, dish soaps etc…

More for less.

If you ask my mother (almost 40 years spent dealing with “more at less” sellers), she will tell that’s a bullshit.

Industrial bullshit to customers.

Under recession, big players need to cut their cost. They are asking consulting firms to give “more at less”.

I have only seen three events leading a better product for a lower price:

- an overall technology upgrade revolution (but it was not immediate and took a looong time)

- a temporary promotion (which later lead to extra cost for the extra value)

- a process optimization

Process optimization is mid or more often long term and has a cost (for future huge savings).

I see no room here for greater value at lower cost.

Or better….

Greate value at lower cost is not something you buy, or you can pretend froma a supplier, or an outsourcer, or a contractor.

Is something up to them, something they should ask THEMSELVES.

Unfortunately, they prefer threatening to hire “high professional” Bangalore engineers, pretending they mean greater value at lower cost.

Come on guys, be serious..

MANAGER or usually referred to as “manager”?

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/career/?p=1179

The above link will take you to an interesting article. In a nutshell, it warns people claiming (or pretending) to be “labeled” as MANAGER, that this is not just an “etiquette” matter, and a long list of “hard” things to do for being a real manager is presented.

Most of the points named are actually true, and definetely you are expected to be able to take decisions. The right ones, as you will not decide about the colour of the lunch towel but mostly about people and company future.

 I agree there is a common “I pretend to be a manager” syndrome. This occurs especially to guys in their late 30s, (most likely close to 40s).

Most of them have just grown older dealing the business as usual tasks some manager assigned them. Maybe they even spent some time on training. One course per year uh? Well, it is quite banal to state that is not enough and bla bla bla…

But no one names the list of things can really give you a chance to slowly turn into a leader, which is (imho) the requirement for becoming a manager.

I will list some. This is my personal list I scroll everyday. I also (sometimes) worry about the fact the time is running, but I think that the age limit (and in general ANY kind of limit) is only for getting the “label“, not getting the “core“.

1) Manage daily life stuff. Organize, coordinate and complete things you start (everything, at any level)

2) Do you have a manager? Then get inspiration. Do you think he/she is wrong? Ask him/her why he/she decided that way (of course only if you think it was not reasonable)

3) What differs you from managers? Just a matter of a couple of certificates? Get those certificates.

4) Staying at office same as long as your manager may not be a good idea. Is there any reason why you should spend more time at office then your peers (providing you don’t have more tasks of course, but be honest with yourself).

5) I KNOW that managers like being photographed with 3/4 cut and nice black dress, ties and crossing arms to that a very expensive watch is visible. Please don’t do that (even when you become a manager). And please, there are no good reasons why you should look so serious. Smile!

6) Managers don’t reply “mmh I don’t really know”. They say “I will carefully think about, let’s take some time to figure out what is the best way to solve this”.

7) Managers rarely forget. Almost never. I would say never. Yes, I am talking about commitments.

8 ) Everybody knows …little or nothing about a manager private life.

9) Managers move people and minds towards an idea. And everything seems so clear when they are  explaining.

10) Managers can manage. Always

The game rules the rules of the game

Are you consulting for a big firm? Are you consulting at big client organization?

Then maybe you are wondering the wrong questions (and certainly you are meeting guys doin so).

That’s good, fast, TRUE , commentary by Michael Wade, here you should shape your mind on.

I am reporting it to you right here. We all should learn from Michael, good excercise to provide add ons to his list.

 

 

 

Logic: It’s a minor item. It should breeze past the board.
 
Experience: Major items breeze. Minor items crawl. They’ll devote prolonged debate to the minor issues because they think they know something about the topic.

 

Logic: It’s a sensitive assignment. They’ll want the best person for the job.
 
Experience: No, they’ll want someone they can trust. Competence is optional.
 

Logic: Every possible point has been made. The committee will want to vote.

Experience: Dream on. A decision will not be made until everyone who cares to do so has commented on those points.

Logic: They’ll want their employees to have information so a good decision can be made.

Experience: They’ll want their employees to have their officially approved information so an officially approved decision will be assured.

Logic: They’ll want justice.

Experience: They’ll want victory.

Turn Forward

A friend of mine told me there’s a a good reason why windshields are much larger then rearview mirrors.
Focusing on how to make it to tomorrow is much more important than wondering about past events.
There’s little help in you past. Resources are in you. Use it to find your way for making to your dreams.

P.S. Friends are Giants! Thanks Andrea

This is mine, this is not yours

What when your client tells you “I know, this is MY problem”?

Does it mean “this is a problem I don’t want you to bother with”?

Or does it mean ”this is a problem you can’t help me with”?

Always do your best so that second option does not occur.