Calling in external consultants is easier and quicker. You tell them what to do and off they go. Business is happy, IT usually not, but hey, the work needs to be done. Easy peasy. Done and dusted.
Really? I’ve come to realise that, while on the surface, consulting might be an easy option, deep down there’s an interaction with business that you may be missing out on.
Source: Picture by author (Catherine)
As a consultant, typically, the client calls, you deliver to specification (anything beyond that means quotes or approvals) and after a few hours, days, or even months you move on. Next client. Next deliverable. Next billable hour. That’s the nature of consulting. Always on the clock. No added extras. No added value.
So, yes, this might fit some situations or companies but why not invest in internal know-how? Because there’s more to it than just software or technical skills.
Touchy-feely stuff
Now in a permanent internal position, I’ve come to realise that while consultants might have technically deep know-how (even here there are no guarantees) they lack the business insight. Consultant contact is often limited to a particular area or function where information is divulged on a need-to-know basis. It is also unlikely that the full company strategy will be exposed. Insight is missing. Internally, though, you’ll know what the common goals and fears are and so, which levers to activate. But it goes beyond that. As an “internal service provider” you can afford a touchy-feely interaction with business e.g. gently convince them of buy-in if they’re sceptical or hear out their thoughts. You can support on a more personal level because you have an understanding of their pain points or experienced previous projects or implementations together. Basically, you know which buttons to push (or not to push). How to put colleagues at ease.
And you can take the liberty of delivering a little extra or spend time trying out something new or different. Because there is no dragon blocking diversions and breathing “billable hour” fire down your back. Through this flexibility and exposure to business areas you find yourself in a position to cross-advise and maybe even avoid duplicate efforts. By not being “The Consultant” but rather a colleague you’re able to build up relationships or leverage off of existing ones. Don’t get me wrong. Consultants do build up relationships with clients but generally within a limited area (and takes time because, let’s face it, it doesn’t come from a few ad-hoc consulting days).
Coffee gossip and buzzwords
You’ll find yourself exchanging ideas and information with colleagues thus slowly bridging that “Us vs Them” (“Business vs IT”) divide that exists in many organisations and so find out what they really need. Don’t underestimate that coffee nook or passage gossip. It helps IT keep a critical step ahead as inevitably someone will bring up the latest technology or buzzword. You’re doing two jobs at once: delivering a service but also finding out what colleagues’ thoughts are. At the end of the day, it is business who gives a good indication of where the journey should go and helps figure out what they really need as opposed to what IT thinks they need. Which means you can probably pre-empt their next ideas, and if not, at least be ready for them or inform the relevant enabler.
In closing
You might say that at times it is quicker and easier to hire external consultants who come with the technical expertise for the job. I won’t argue that. But I do believe that internally there are different nuances to the professional relationships with business which changes how you engage with each other and results in greater alignment. Or at least gives a starting point to bringing IT and Business closer.
As for the skills gap, well, for that there’s always Google. Oh, and experience from trial and error.
Yep…I went to the 24 Hour Race at the Nürburgring. It all started with me dropping my name into the lucky draw entry box at the office thinking that I’ll never win anyway. Until one morning, in mid-sip of my morning cuppa…I hear “You’re in!”. Huh? In what? “You’ve been drawn as the one of 6 to go to the race”. Wooow!!! And then… “Oh my…what have I just gotten myself into????”.
It’s time to go back to teenie days. To be shallow. Of course this post was bound to come up at some point. I mean, I’m human after all. Besides, 
No Country for Old Men. I’m sorry but I absolutely HATE this movie. I know, I know…hate is a very strong word but in this case…I HATE it! It is sooooo disturbing. It ends off with this feeling of hopelessness. I know that is often reality but the reason I watch movies is for escapism and there needs to be a glimmer of hope. I never got that from this one.
Up. I’m sorry…go ahead, unfollow me if you want. The opening few minutes were cute and then I was sad for the rest of the story. And despondent. And wondered why such a depressing movie was made. Definitely not one for kids. But that’s just how I feel.
The ability to totally understand the emotions of a character in a movie is rare. Yes, we empathise, but how often do we really, truly come close to “I know how you feel”? Of course we can never know exactly how anyone feels as we are all different but we definitely have levels of understanding based on experiences. For once, I can say, I know. I have been there. I’m on about Fletcher (J.K Simmons) shouting at Andrew (Miles Teller) “You’re fast”, “Now you’re slow” and on and on. Most people don’t understand this…really, really, understand this. I do: It was inevitable that on those days when screeching resonated down the passage from behind that scary closed door, you were about to be in for a similar experience as the poor sod finishing off their piano lesson. I dreaded lessons on those days because no matter how I tried or what I did, I too was playing either too fast or too slow or just not quite getting it and when I eventually got it right, I had no idea what I had done different to the previous 30 or so times. In my novice opinion (as was made clear to me then), that last correct attempt was no different to the first incorrect one. But, something minuscule, inaudible to my ears must have been. Yes, agreed, the second attempt was usually exaggeratedly too slow resulting in a highly irritated “Lovey…” accompanied by eye-rolling and some additional comments on being such an amateur or that now I’m just being ridiculous. The 3rd attempt was naturally then way too fast but I had to do something, anything, to get through this hour of hell. Gosh, thinking back, I’m so glad she was perched next to me and didn’t see the glistening eyes. She definitely would have increased her fire-breathing had she had the slightest idea that “I am upset” as Andrew puts it. So yes, Whiplash really hits home. Very hard. For some of us, not so much fiction is it? Even I ran off to the practice rooms to really pound those torturous bars into my brain only to play them even worse during the following week’s repeated torture session. Interesting enough was that until the day before the exam the particular section that was considered shocking and worthy of failing was suddenly “beautifully played…Lovey”.
I must say, I believe that the speech around Charlie Parker becoming Charlie Parker because Jo Jones threw a cymbal at him may have some truth to it. If Charlie Parker hadn’t been humiliated, would he have pushed himself and in doing so become great? Also the fact that Fletcher brought on Connolly as a motivator is a good strategy. Nothing like instilling some competition. I think it is our natural make-up to want to win or at least be good at things. Well, where it comes to our passions. Wouldn’t work for something we don’t really care about.
Thoughts All Sorts 