People are afraid to take responsibility, the question is about the reasons. Lack of competence? Lack of self-confidence? That’s what consultants are hired for, often to implement obvious solutions.

However, as seen in practice, their plan does not work out.

The specifics of our projects is that we work together with the customer’s team, and not instead of it. We do not prepare a report or a beautiful presentation to collect dust on the shelf.

Only the mutual work with a team turns solutions into actions; this is the only way people feel personal responsibility, see themselves as a part of a larger story.

In addition, we work with the consequences of the unsuccessful experience of past projects with consultants. One of our customers perceived the word “strategy” extremely toxic after working with a Big Four company; they received a “mock” document.

I used to work with a colleague who received a predictive model, also from one of the Big Four companies. But he erased all the formulas – the result of the model did not suit him – and he listened to his intuition.

All these are the consequences of “ready-made solutions” worked out without the team’s participation.
Consultants are a temporary solution, but the team will stay with you. Give people the right to make decisions and be responsible for their implementation, this is the only way for the team to develop.

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AUTHOR: Mykola Makarenko Strategist at Strategic