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Once I noticed the McKinsey report on “developer productiveness,” I shuddered. First, that is mindless in a collaborative staff. Second, there isn’t any option to measure such a factor as developer productiveness, regardless of what McKinsey says. (I am not linking to the report, as a result of the recommendation is so dangerous.)
Then I learn Lorin Hochstein’s good evaluation in On productivity metrics and management consultants. My friends and I have been reacting to the concepts within the report. We hadn’t understood the complete implication of that report.
McKinsey wrote that report as a manner of utilizing their mental property (IP) to construct political capital on the shopper. That capital permits purchasers to fund tasks that can pay you.
That makes a lot sense.
All of us consultants can do the identical. And I argue, these of us who’re profitable consultants—that is the purpose of our IP. We assist our purchasers pre-sell themselves on us, primarily based on our IP. That builds political capital for change.
Construct Your IP
You possibly can construct your IP, also called your content material for advertising and marketing, in some ways. I concentrate on writing and talking.
Writing alternate options:
- Weblog posts. That is one in all my favourite methods to construct IP as a result of I get to apply each my writing and expressing my concepts.
- E-mail newsletters. One other of my favorites as a result of I’ve permission from my subscribers to market to them.
- Articles on different folks’s websites.
- Books, however that is a for much longer effort.
Talking potentialities:
- Give public talks at conferences and meetups. Now that we now have many choices for digital conferences, I can keep secure in my workplace and meet good folks all around the world.
- Podcasts. I have a tendency to advertise my books on podcasts. However you do not want a guide to go on a podcast. When you’ve got an thought you possibly can’t wait to debate—that is a fantastic subject for a podcast.
- Your movies in your video channel. I revitalized my YouTube channel this yr. Do I’ve the “excellent” mixture of movies there? I am positive I don’t. I am experimenting.
- Your podcast, with or with out visitors. I am experimenting with a personal podcast this yr.
All of those choices construct your IP. Your IP helps folks belief you. All that IP and belief builds your political capital.
How Political Capital and IP Work for Consultants
Political capital works in some ways.
Earlier than the engagement, IP helps potential purchasers ask particularly for you. Not a guide who can do X, Y, or Z. However you. Which means you are not “competing” with anybody else for enterprise. Your one job is then to make a compelling sufficient argument in your proposal that the shopper hires you. (I consider this because the “capital” half.)
Through the engagement, different folks will take you apart and say, “I have been attempting to inform my administration this factor for a very long time. Are you able to please inform them, so we are able to change?” (That is the “political” half.)
Politics shouldn’t be a unclean phrase. I choose to name it affect or how we entry energy. However all organizations have some kind of energy mechanism. And the extra a guide can perceive and use that mechanism, the extra possible the shopper can and can change.
Construct Your IP
The extra IP you construct, the extra possible folks will discover you. The extra individuals who discover you, the extra possible you might be to construct relationships that result in consulting.
The picture on this submit is from Successful Independent Consulting, and exhibits all of the IP suggestions loops I’ve seen in my enterprise. I write one thing or communicate someplace. Somebody refers to that content material and asks for a discovery name, and many others. However step one is for me to create content material. That content material makes folks extra prone to have interaction with me and makes them extra prone to belief me to do job with them.
McKinsey’s purchasers aren’t my purchasers. I am fairly positive their purchasers would by no means even take into account hiring me.
That is superb. My purchasers do not need to work with them both.
Construct your IP to study what you understand. That helps your potential purchasers belief you. That belief permits you to construct your political capital even earlier than you begin an engagement.
That is one in all an intermittent sequence of consulting tips.
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