Hiring a consultant can be a big decision.
In the eyes of some people, consultants are about as trustworthy as politicians, lawyers, or used car salesmen. They are only slightly above so-called Nigerian princes spamming your email.
To be transparent, we get that feeling. Too many leaders haven’t received real value from working with a consultant. You may be one of them.
Knocks on Consultants
Here are some of the bad opinions we’ve heard over the years.
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They don’t have real world expertise.
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They don’t finish the job.
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They charge for every paper clip and every minute on the phone.
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They’re hard to get ahold of when you need them.
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They apply the same prefabricated “solution” to every client. (When your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.)
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The only language they know is “corporate speak.” (Overusing jargon like circle back, agile, put a pin in it, pivot, and synergy.)
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They make ridiculous claims like doubling or tripling your business practically overnight and don’t come through.
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They show up, tell you a bunch of stuff you already know, and then leave.
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They have no skin in the game and you can’t trust them.
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They aren’t actually motivated to solve your problem. If they solve your problem, you don’t need them anymore.
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They are “know-it-alls” with egos like rock stars.
At the Barcanic Group we take your success seriously but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We aren’t all-knowing and will be honest when we have to do some research to find an answer for you.
We speak in plain English, most of the time. Some of us also speak Albanian, Spanish, Arabic, and various other human languages. Oh, and it’s possible a specific strategic partner speaks some Klingon. (You never know when that will come in handy with a client.) While we may use corporate jargon more than we realize, we are happy to be called out on it and translate into the language of your choice.
We have more than 200 years of combined real-world experience leading organizations. Not only do we have proven expertise in every area of business, we have the humility that comes from learning things the hard way. Having been in your shoes we like to spare you some of the grief we’ve experienced ourselves.
Our fees are based squarely on the value we can help you create. You never have to worry about hourly billing, up-selling, or paying for office supplies.
We know that every client engagement is unique. We have a wide array of tools to choose from and carefully select what will work best for you. In addition, we are always learning and growing so our toolbox is consistently growing larger and more diverse to serve you better.
Our Approach
Our Model
Phase 1: Pre-flight
At the beginning of every client relationship we have what we call a “fit ” call. It’s amazing what we can discover about one another over a 30-minute virtual cup of coffee. We’ll determine if you have the type of challenge that the Barcanic Group is good at solving. You’ll ensure that we have the type of process you’re looking for to overcome your challenge. And we’ll both decide if we “fit” together.
Once we’ve agreed to engage, the next step is an assessment of your current position. Our proprietary Growth Capacity Assessment™ examines 57 vital aspects of your business. It digs deeper than the presenting symptoms to identify the root cause that’s stalling your growth.
Using a combination of online questionnaires, personal interviews, focus groups, and first-hand study of business documents we create a heat map of your entire business so you can quickly and easily identify what areas need help.
The results also provide key insights into your current situation, purpose, vision, opportunities, and other essentials which can support a new strategy. We wrap up the assessment phase by sharing these insights (virtually or in-person) with your executive team.
Phase 3: Take-off
With the deep understanding provided by the assessment as a foundation, we create a strategy to move your business from your current situation to your chosen destination. Through a series of in-person sessions and asynchronous work with key stakeholders from your organization the Barcanic Group will lead you to define your destination, diagnose your greatest challenge, develop your overall approach, and design a 1-year tactical action plan.
Determine your current position.
If you want to travel to New York City you need to know where you’re starting from so you know which direction to travel. In the same way, you can’t get your business to your desired destination if you don’t know where you’re starting from.
Define your destination.
Where do you really want to be in 3-5 years? For a vision to be worthwhile it needs to be something that will motivate you and your team. You will use it to judge progress and make decisions. The more tangible it is the better.
Diagnose your greatest challenge.
What must you overcome to reach your destination? This is an essential, but often overlooked, element in creating a cohesive strategy. Miss the mark here and you’re entire plan may come to nothing.
Develop your overall approach.
Strategy is all about making choices. Choosing what you won’t do is just as important as choosing what you will do. Actions and priorities are likely to be haphazard and disconnected without a well-defined overall approach.
Design a 1-year action plan.
Most so-called “strategies” just sit on the shelf collecting dust because they stop once goals have been identified. We ensure every goal is connected to day-to-day actions assigned to actual people. Then we don’t stop until there is a process in place to assess progress and make adjustments as needed.
Phase 4: Climb
The first 12-18 months of implementation is a critical timeframe that commonly determines the progress and potential for long-term success.
To achieve what you’ve never achieved you must do what you’ve never done.
We’ll help you and your team develop the new knowledge, skills, and capacity you need. Change can be hard. Like a jet plane striving against the laws of gravity to reach cruising speed, becoming the business you envision will require focus and effort. We’ll guide you to build new habits and gain momentum through the initial implementation process.
The Barcanic Group will conduct first-hand observations, one-on-one and group coaching, and custom workshops. We will also provide practical frameworks and resources such as dashboards, tools, and suggestions for further learning.
Depending on your unique situation, these are some of the areas we may address in the implementation phase.
Executive Development
Your leadership abilities are just as important to your success as your expertise in your field. Ensure your top leaders become just what your business needs to achieve your top priorities.
Leadership Pipeline
Create a reliable, repeatable system to identify, assess, and mobilize future leaders.
Great People
Great people are the soul of a great business. Implement systems to find, hire, onboard, train, deploy, evaluate, engage, and retain top talent.
Team Performance
Knit great people together into high-trust, high-performing teams that get great results.
Process and Systems Improvements
Implement systems and processes that get things done consistently well with a minimum of fuss.
Decision Making
Surface all the issues, obtain honest input, harness objective data, seek wisdom, gain buy-in, and know when to pull the trigger.
Communication
Gain the skills to run effective meetings, provide clear company-wide communications, and cascade messaging to every level of the organization so people stay in-the-know and on the same page.
Healthy Culture of Excellence
Grow a culture that provides excellent services and protects the health of each team member.
Monitoring and Adjusting
Establish rhythms for monitoring your plan, triggers for when to make adjustments, and frameworks for doing so in ways that ensure you still reach your destination.
Phase 5: Cruise
You’ve done the hard work of learning, changing, and implementing. You’ve tackled your Big Challenge, broken through your growth barrier, and are ready to move on to what’s next. The Barcanic Group offers retainer services to a select set of clients in this phase. The specifics are customized to each unique situation, but what remains the same is our commitment to journey with you providing guidance, encouragement, insight, and clarity.