From Our Founder

LeadVantage Consulting’s first website had a home page that featured dictionary definitions for the words “lead” and “vantage” as well as our own definition of LeadVantage, which was “a unique consulting firm that combines operational experience with superior creativity, energy, flexibility, and value.”

Reflecting on that definition eight years later, the word that jumps out at me the most is “unique.” There are many ways to describe what makes LeadVantage unique or different from other consulting firms, but the most significant is our personality. Encarta’s definition of personality reads: “the totality of attitudes, interests, behavioral patterns, emotional responses, social roles, and other individual traits that emerge over long periods of time.” When I consider our unique personality, I think of three things: people, choice, and trust.

• People – Our consultants and engagements always have a strong focus on people. This people focus is manifested through an assertive yet friendly communication approach and constant attention to understanding the key stakeholders and engaging them to support our efforts. For example, one of our core values is providing feedback. We put this into practice every day with each other and with our clients. We know our clients don’t like surprises and neither do we. That is why it is critical that we foster a culture that depends and thrives on strong personal interactions and constructive feedback.

• Choice – We make deliberate choices that lead to successful engagements and happy clients. First, we only hire consultants who fit our ideals and approach. We also only hire consultants who are enthusiastic and passionate about delivering results to our clients and demonstrate it on a daily basis. In other words, we want consultants who will treat our clients’ businesses like it is their own. A LeadVantage consultant is always focused on the right answer for the client. Second, we choose clients and projects that complement our capabilities and methods. We know that certain clients may not be appropriate for our style and approach. We also know that there are projects that do not fit best with our expertise. As a result, on occasion, we have recommended other solutions to potential clients because that was the right choice.

• Trust – We are not satisfied with just meeting our contractual obligations. We expect our consultants to gain the implicit trust of every client. Not just the CEO or the VP, but every person with whom we interact. We obtain that trust by earning it. We take steps to understand the big picture behind our clients’ business situations. We get to know all of the players and what motivates them. We ask the tough questions and tackle the difficult issues. We give opinions. We work hard not to fall into consultant stereotypes. We make sure our decisions are always in the clients’ best interests and are not constrained by internal profit pressures, growth tactics, and risk mitigation motives. We are satisfied when our clients consider us as trusted advisers, are confident in tapping into our broad experience, and leverage our business acumen.

Recently, I read an article about networking and the idea of a 60-second elevator ride to promote yourself quickly and effectively. The author recommended that you grab the listener’s attention by starting with the line, “I have a great job.” This made me reflect on my job. Could I say, day in and day out, that I have the “great job”? Although I’m not one for hyperbole, I think that my job is pretty darn good because our work truly makes our clients’ businesses better. So, does pretty darn good equal great? As I ponder that, I realize that it’s not just about profits and quality, speed and accuracy, costs and benefits. The part of my job that makes it great is the fact that I work every day to make the jobs of my clients and team better. The great part is about helping people. We get to help clients with difficult work situations: work that is not aligned with the right skill sets, work that is just too much to do alone or, for one reason or another, work that doesn’t permit an objective perspective. Regardless, we get to make someone’s life at least a little bit easier. LeadVantage consultants meet their goals. They make clients happy and get home at a decent hour. The icing on the cake is that I get to help my team by providing unique and challenging opportunities at a fare wage, and supporting them in every way that I can.

The bottom line is that we love to help our clients succeed (and have fun doing it). I do have a great job.