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Best Kept Secret Of Successful Consulting - Model The Best

By alik levin

February 10th, 2009 | Consulting


The best kept secret in becoming successful is… finding the right role model. Find the role model that resonates with you the most, reverse engineer your model, adopt principles your model use, and become successful Successful Consultant 
by striatic

Consulting is no different - what’re the most successful consulting companies? What do they do to be successful? What are their principles?

Hey, I think I found something interesting! Here are The 10 Commandments of Zappos

  1. Deliver WOW through service
  2. Embrace and drive change
  3. Create fun and a little weirdness
  4. Be adventurous, creative and open-minded
  5. Pursue growth and learning
  6. Build open and honest relationships with communication
  7. Build a positive team and family spirit
  8. Do more with less
  9. Be passionate and determined
  10. Be humble.

Let’s conduct a little test. The main question is “Am I on track to become a successful consultant?”.


Deliver WOW through service

Embrace and drive change

Create fun and a little weirdness

  • Check out the image here

Be adventurous, creative and open-minded

Pursue growth and learning

Build open and honest relationships with communication

Build a positive team and family spirit

Do more with less

Be passionate and determined

Be humble.

“People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy after” - Oliver Goldsmith

 

  • Am I on track?
  • Are you?
  • What’s your role model?
  • What should I improve?


18 comments ↓

#1 Daphne on 02.10.09 at 2:48 pm

Hi Alik,

Great post with useful tips and links. I especially remember “Create fun” and “Deliver WOW”. Thanks!

#2 Audra Krell on 02.10.09 at 3:14 pm

Wow, another great, comprehensive post. I would love to be a “reverse engineer”! That’s the closest I’ll probably get to ever being an engineer. Have you checked out Seth Godin’s blog and/or books? I think his ideas would mesh very well with yours.

#3 J.D. Meier on 02.10.09 at 4:25 pm

Do more with less is not only useful in a down economy, but it drives operational innovation.

#4 Gennaro on 02.10.09 at 4:53 pm

Agree with the concept of modeling the best, but more so the best fit for you. It needs to be someone who is really good, and who does it in a way that fit your personality or skills.

#5 tom on 02.10.09 at 5:10 pm

Gotta say “Do more with less” is the one i would pick as the best.
Sadly people don;t really understand this. For me it means using up all free resources first before you go pay for something.
Also, it is about appreciate what you have and making the best out of it.

#6 alik levin on 02.10.09 at 8:40 pm

Daphne,
Great to hear you liked it!
WOW is the winning strategy these days. Good is not enough, being great gets you into the competition., delivering WOW service is the way to win the competition.

Audra,
Seth who? HAHAHA!!!!
You put me inline with the guy? What a honor! ;)
We are all engineers of our own lives, want it or not. Life by design.Consider checking on this one:
http://www.steve-olson.com/how-to-engineer-yourself-for-peak-performance/

Gennaro,
100%!

tom,
Gotta disagree a bit here (I know you love arguing too, right?) ;)
Doing more with less does not mean using free stuff. Here is very live example.
I am services field guy. My company’s rate is one of the highest in the industry (regardless how good/bad I am, but I’d better be good if I want to stick with the job). Many companies pay happily high rates just to make the job done fast. For them time is much more important than money. It sometimes apply to individuals. I heard someone saying “I am not that rich to buy cheap stuff.” :)

#7 tom on 02.10.09 at 8:52 pm

Interesting, well i was only speaking from my own experience.

But you make an interesting point, in terms of business, it is different all across the field, so it varies.

I mean if people see the value in the higher price, and you can back it back, go for it. I am all for it, plus you weed out the bad customers because the higher the price the fewer customers, less maintenance, more profits and less headaches.

After all we ain’t here to serve everyone.

#8 Liara Covert on 02.10.09 at 8:59 pm

To be concise and to the point shifts focus and concentrates energy. You remind readers they have the potential to learn thigns at every stage of evolution.

#9 alik levin on 02.10.09 at 9:09 pm

tom,
I feel we have so much to share on this one ;)
I am sure you have read Tim’s book on 4 workweek, right?
The other book to read is “Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service”. Start here:
http://practicethis.com/2008/04/24/3-easy-steps-to-become-a-superhero/
I like your angles…. ;)

Liara,
Not sure I follow you, can you elaborate a bit? While I totally agree with the statement of being concise helps focusing, I am not sure what part of the post supports it…

#10 Tess The Bold Life on 02.10.09 at 10:45 pm

Zappos Commandments are so great they could be used for a family, boy scouts, girl scouts etc. Hey, I’m all about fun and weirdness!

#11 Tess The Bold Life on 02.10.09 at 10:47 pm

This is so good every family should follow it! Hey, I’m all about fun and weirdness. These are fantastic. And I love their shoes.

#12 tom on 02.11.09 at 4:23 am

Dammit Alik, you don’t know who Seth Godin is?

This guy is awesome, i only become aware of him last month. Which is essentially when my blogging took off, officially.

#13 alik levin on 02.11.09 at 4:49 am

tom,
Have you read his “The Dip” book yet?
NO!?
Put everything aside and read it now.
PS. I was kidding, i know who the guy is ;)

#14 tom on 02.11.09 at 5:14 am

Haha you’re awesome Alik. For a second there I was like ohhh someone’s had enough of me.

#15 LifeMadeGreat | Juliet on 02.11.09 at 6:30 am

Hi Alik

Useful information.
What struck me is “doing more with less”

This is a little off what you mean, but I recently went to work meeting and was sickened. The company has retrenched some staff in the US, yet the wine at the dinner cost R1500 per bottle! Now, to give you an idea, one would typically spend R100 on a bottle of wine when dining out. This expensive wine was nothing special either.

Juliet

#16 alik levin on 02.11.09 at 6:41 am

Juliet,
Good to hear it is helpful!
The example you bring here is common these days… sadly. And it is dead on to what I mean.
Doing more w/less must apply to both management and individual contributors.
Take a look at this article, mind blowing:
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/hamel/2009/02/25_stretch_goals_for_managemen.html

#17 alik levin on 02.11.09 at 8:47 am

Tess,
Happy you liked it!
I am a big fan too applying proven practices to different areas. My favorite is parenting too!

[Sorry for the late, response....] ;)

#18 My Favorite Flickr Images For Blogging — Practice This on 03.20.09 at 8:45 pm

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