Consulting has distinguished itself over the years through multiple aspects: simplifying complex problems, developing large strategies, and helping organizations become better. To achieve this, the use of tools, frameworks, and experts, among others, has been key. The work philosophy stands out as one of the most relevant aspects in this regard. 

You’ve probably read some blog posts or heard from friends who work in consulting that they have a different way of doing things. The creation of value does not come from exceptional minds or flashes of brilliance, but from a unique and systematic way of tackling challenges, which allows ideas and impact analyses to come to light. Today, I would like to share with you 5 principles that, in my opinion, introduce the work philosophy at Montblanc Consulting and why it would benefit everyone to know them. First  

80/20

Also known as the Pareto Principle, it is perhaps the most commonly used term. Its origins date back to the 19th century when Vilfredo Pareto noticed that 20% of the peas in his garden occupied 80% of his land. Simple, yet revealing. He was even more surprised when he extended this analysis to other areas and saw this ratio hold true. The conclusion: 80% of results come from 20% of actions. In consulting, we seek to apply this rule to each problem we face. Some examples we have found are: 80% of revenue comes from 20% of clients, or 80% of failures come from 20% of plant equipment. The invitation is to identify this 80/20 in your life and work, and then focus your efforts on what generates the greatest impact. Second

Planning

Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States and known for his numerous contributions, once said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” In consulting, the situation is similar. Time is scarce, and people who develop their week ineffectively often fall into the same trap: they fail to plan. Therefore, it is crucial to set objectives, reflect on what is important, and then commit to execution. That is, Reflection + Discipline = Results. The recommendation is to define your objectives and the path to achieve them. It is useful to start with something practical: Have you planned your week yet? Third  

Adding Value 

What does it mean to add value? Lean Thinking defines it as “everything the customer is willing to pay for.” In our work with clients, a very revealing exercise to understand those processes that add value is to map out the commercial processes. Often, we see multiple stages that customers are not willing to pay for (in other words, they do not add value), yet they still exist, only adding costs for both parties. The recommendation in this case is usually to “eliminate or reduce.” We invite you to ask yourself: Are you adding the maximum value to your customers? Can you reduce or eliminate the activities that are not creating value? Fourth

Effective Meetings 

Have you ever arrived at a meeting and halfway through thought, “Why am I here? What are we meeting for?” These questions are much more common than you think and represent a significant problem: in a survey conducted by Korn Ferry in 2019, 55% of workers reported spending from 2 to over 10 hours a week in unproductive meetings or calls. Elon Musk, for his part, sent an email to his entire team in 2018, urging them to abandon all meetings or calls where they saw no contribution. In our experience, this is something that repeats itself in organizations and its solution is usually simple. It involves answering three questions: a) What is the purpose of the meeting? b) What is the agenda? c) Who needs to be present? Now, can you answer these questions for your meetings? Fifth

Iteration 

A principle that might sound obvious, but is a critical element in many endeavors, from software development to the creation of COVID-19 vaccines, iteration is a fundamental process in achieving results. But it does not only apply to large projects: if you think about it, the presentation you developed with your team probably required more than one change. In our case, a presentation to clients may require more than fifty iterations within the team to ensure that the final result integrates all perspectives. It also facilitates the integration of various graphic elements and diverse information that improves the final product. Without iterations, probably half of these points would not have been achieved. Each iteration is a process of challenging our own work and seeing what we can improve to seek excellence. Now, the invitation is for you: what deliverables do you need to challenge? Are you doing it? 

As a consultant, following these 5 principles have helped me be more productive in my daily life, not just at work, but also with my life goals. I invite you to put them into practice and with these tools, get closer each day to achieving your goals. 

Publication prepared by Carlos Barros, Senior Consultant 

1 Forbes, 2016
2 Forbes Quotes
3 Lean Thinking, 1996
4 Korn Ferry, 2019
5 CNBC, 2018