Keeping managerial nervous energy aligned and focused can deliver extraordinary returns when hiring business consultancies.
Timely and informed advice, well-crafted input from a different point of view, independent analysis, and objective research have always been key elements in decision-making for countless leaders in all areas of human endeavor. These columns have made business consulting flourish.
Even today, in the midst of the greatest information and knowledge revolution that humanity has experienced, consulting continues to be one of the most important allies requested by businessmen and managers.
Independent consulting firms, academics, and consultants have contributed tremendously to the development of the theory and practice of business management on a global scale. At the same time, they are powerful vehicles for the dissemination of this knowledge.
I cannot imagine a successful navigation in this turbulence without a true dumbbell between entrepreneurs, managers and consultants.Mauricio Mena
Some experts believe that access to information is not so important today, but the ability to turn it into effective decisions that discriminate the temporary from the strategic.
Blogs and social networks make up-to-the-minute information on events, news and results available to everyone. To be "updated" seems to be an increasingly obsolete term. "Online" and "in real time" could be more appropriate expressions. I cannot imagine a successful navigation in this turbulence without a real match between entrepreneurs, managers and consultants.
In the last 20 years, we have seen the consulting business change for the better in our region. Not only has it multiplied, but the relationship with entrepreneurs and managers has matured. The latter recognize the value and effectiveness of focusing on "make things happen"Therefore, it is not uncommon to see them draw the field of action for themselves and their teams while defining areas of work that can be delegated to an external consultant.
Many have found that just keeping managerial nerve energy — one of the most important and scarce resources in organizations today — is kept aligned and focused, can deliver extraordinary returns. For their part, the good consultant has understood that serving today's companies requires increasingly specialized and updated knowledge.
Consequently, the consulting scene looks more fragmented and demands the creativity of companies in the sector to establish alliances that manage to integrate solutions tailored to each client and each strategy.
The years to come will see us witness an increasingly symbiotic relationship between entrepreneurs, managers and consultants to produce success stories. It is not uncommon for “referral” consulting to begin to give way to more shared responsibility.
Each one in his own trench, but both committed to a common goal: The strategy of the company.
* Article written for Mercados y Trends magazine (July-August, 2009)
WRITTEN BY
MAURICIO MENA
MBA with honors from INCAE Business School and Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from the University of Costa Rica.
Mauricio is a Managing Director at bac & Asociados and his passion is advising the firm's clients in what he calls “the evolution and strategic transformation of companies” in a world of rapid change and emerging and challenging business models.
