If you want results, you can’t balk at getting your hands dirty.

Right now, I’m tasked with two, quite distinct duties. One is providing executive support to operating companies to improve their business results. Projects of this type involve drafting proposals for measures to improve the companies’ business results and thoroughly executing those measures. For example, while working on improving the business results of a certain food producer, I realized that their company had a big problem: the client was insufficiently capable of adjusting supply to demand, resulting in lost opportunities and waste. I drafted proposals and worked closely with the client on measures to establish a balance between production and sales, all in parallel with the execution of multiple other measures. The project yielded significant results. What I paid close attention to was relationships with people on the front lines. Even the best plan in the world wasn’t going to get results without front-line cooperation, so I made a point of fostering close communication encompassing senior management, middle-management and front-line workers.

Of course, maintaining open dialogue means taking harsh criticism sometimes. But because we were able to speak plainly to each other, I was able at crucial moments to form bonds of trust with the client. Results matter above all, and if you want to be successful, then getting down and dirty in your work is essential in consulting.
My second duty is supporting the investment deliberations of corporate clients. In the genre of business due diligence, my job is to analyze thoroughly the value of a target company and submit proposals that answer questions such as, Should the client buy it? How much value does it hold? What can be done to enhance its corporate value? A client might feel the allure of an asset and want to buy it, but investment is a big decision involving enormous expense. Any recommendation I give must be firmly rooted in hard, cold reality. Determining the attractiveness and competitiveness of a company and framing a rational forecast of its future earnings is a process that stokes my intellectual curiosity. In addition to examining prospective investments before an acquisition, I am sometimes called to support efforts to improve the target’s business results after the acquisition is complete. It’s incredibly rewarding and motivating.