WHY DO CONSULTANTS STAY WITH COMPANIES FOR SO LONG?

Some people ask the question: How do consultants remain with companies indefinitely?

It is a fair question.

After all, if a consultant comes into an organization, identifies the problems, recommends new tactics, improves processes, and helps drive results—shouldn't the job eventually be done?

The answer is found in something I call the J Curve.

THE J CURVE OF CONSULTING

When a company introduces new consulting-advised tactics, something interesting happens.

There is usually an initial period of improvement.

Energy increases. People are focused. New processes are implemented. Leadership is

engaged. The workforce begins doing things differently.

Results improve.

But then something happens.

Stamina becomes an issue.

The workforce begins to settle back into old habits. The excitement surrounding the new

approach starts to fade. The tactics that once created breakthrough results begin to feel routine.

And eventually, performance levels off.

This is the J Curve.

Breakthrough tactics have a lifespan.

They work. They create energy. They drive results.

But they eventually need to be refreshed.

And refreshment breeds energy.

Energy yields results.

That cycle alone explains why many companies continue to call upon consultants.

But there is another factor—one that is much less desirable to talk about.

THE WORKFORCE LOVES AN OPINION

There is a trait present in many organizations that deserves more attention.

People often want to explain more than they want to take initiative.

Think about that for a moment.

If results are driven by staff initiative—and they are—then how do we explain performance shortfalls?

Too often, we explain them with opinions.

We hear why the tactic is flawed.

Why the process no longer works.

Why the outcome was unrealistic.

Why something needs to change.

Why someone else needs to do something differently.

Does anyone remember asking a simple question about an outcome and, instead of hearing the actual result, receiving a lengthy oration about everything that is flawed or needs improvement?

It happens every day.

The conversation becomes about explaining performance rather than improving it.

And that is exactly why data analytics is so deeply important.

DATA IS THE DOORWAY TO FACT-BASED DECISIONS

Data analytics gives us a doorway into fact-based decision-making.

It helps us separate:

Facts from opinions.

Results from explanations.

Reality from perception.

But guess what?

Having the data is not enough.

You can have dashboards.

You can have reports.

You can have analytics coming out of every corner of the organization.

But if nobody makes decisions from the data, what good is it?

Too many companies allow opinions to continue incessantly.

The meetings continue.

The explanations get longer.

The debates become louder.

And sometimes, the organization avoids making the aggressive decision that the facts clearly require.

DATA ANALYTICS OR DECISIONAL ANALYTICS?

Fact-based decision-making is not a new concept.

But perhaps it needs to become a new tactic.

Think about the last major announcement or conversation you had within your organization.

How often did you hear: "Based upon our learnings, here is what we do next."

That is decisional analytics.

It is not simply collecting information.

It is not creating another dashboard.

It is not analyzing something for the sake of having an analysis.

It is using what we have learned to make a decision—and then acting upon it.

Maybe we should stop thinking about it as data analytics.

Maybe we should start thinking about it as:

DECISIONAL ANALYTICS

Because data without decisions is simply information.

And information without action does not improve performance.

WHY CONSULTANTS GET CALLED BACK

When decisions come late, opinions grow loud.

Confusion increases.

Processes begin to drift.

Tactics lose their effectiveness.

Performance begins to stall.

And eventually, the business frequently calls upon consultants again.

Why?

To help sort out the issues.

To separate fact from fiction.

To identify what is actually happening.

And to remap the processes once again.

The goal is not to keep a company dependent on consulting forever.

The goal is to continually recharge the organization.

New learning creates new tactics.

New tactics create new energy.

New energy drives new initiative.

And initiative produces results.

But when energy fades and opinions begin replacing decisions, the J Curve begins again.

The companies that win will not be the ones with the most opinions.

They will be the ones that learn faster, decide faster, and act faster.

The question is: Is your company focused on discussing the problems—or deciding what

happens next?

Message me. I would love to chew through this topic in much more depth with you.

I am very positive we can help recharge your company—moving it away from an organization focused on opinions and toward one focused on decisions.

I will even give you a free evaluation to help determine where to start.