Episode 83 - Life Lessons & Learnings From Building A 1,000 Person Consultancy with Adrian Bettridge
May 21, 2021
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Adrian Bettridge, Managing Partner at Baringa Partners, discusses his upbringing, challenges faced during Baringa's growth, and advice for consulting leaders. They also touch on the impact of not drinking alcohol, developing self-belief, and the role of wives during lockdown. The importance of long-term perspective in business and recommended books are also highlighted.
Hiring individuals with subject matter expertise and who are team players is crucial for building a growing consultancy.
Maintaining a single P&L across global offices promotes collaboration and a sense of ownership among partners.
Regular partner meetings and embracing coaching skills foster intimacy, collaboration, and support within the consultancy.
Deep dives
Challenges in Building a Growing Firm
One of the main challenges faced in building a growing firm like Beringa is finding the right talent and ensuring they fit into the company culture. It is important to hire individuals with subject matter expertise and who are team players, aligned with the company's values and collaborative approach. Another challenge is managing international growth and adapting the firm's culture to different markets while maintaining a cohesive organization. Beringa has established a single P&L across its global offices, which promotes collaboration and alignment but requires strong communication and coordination across geographies. Overcoming these challenges involves continuous learning, open communication, and creating a supportive and collaborative environment within the partnership.
Advantages of a Single P&L
Beringa's decision to maintain a single P&L has been driven by the belief that it aligns the economic interests of the partners and promotes a sense of ownership and collaboration. It encourages partners and teams to treat the firm's finances as their own, making decisions that add value and avoiding frivolous spending. This approach fosters a shared responsibility for the firm's success and creates a culture of entrepreneurship where everyone is invested in the outcome. The single P&L also supports collaboration and the sharing of resources and expertise across geographies, reinforcing the idea that everyone is in it together.
Managing Partner Relationships and Alignment
While Beringa has a growing partnership with a diverse range of expertise, it maintains a sense of intimacy and close collaboration through regular partner meetings and calls. The partners come together to discuss important decisions, vote on propositions, and maintain alignment on the company's strategic direction. This allows for open debates, empathy, and support among the partners. Additionally, the organization encourages partners to take on internal roles and responsibilities that cut across industry and functional areas, ensuring constant connections and fostering a sense of support for each other's success.
Leadership Shadow and Authenticity
One piece of advice for someone who has just made partner would be to be conscious of the leadership shadow they cast and to carefully choose a positive shadow by being themselves more with skill. Authenticity is important, but it should also involve editing and being the best version of oneself to have a positive impact on the team.
Purveyor of Hope and Energy
For someone who has been promoted to lead a specific industry area, the advice would be to lead with passion and energy. As a leader, they should be a purveyor of hope, creating a sense of possibility and belief in what can be achieved. This passion and energy will help inspire the team and navigate through challenges and resistance.
Leader as Coach
For someone leading a division, it would be beneficial to embrace the role of a leader as a coach. Developing coaching skills can facilitate a shift from a traditional hierarchical leadership style to one that empowers others to find answers within themselves. Being a coach allows for better listening, asking meaningful questions, and helping team members explore and discover the best in themselves.
In today’s episode of Climb In Consulting I speak with Adrian Bettridge, Managing Partner at Baringa Partners, an award winning, multi-national consultancy working across Energy, Financial Services, Consumer Products & Retail and Telecoms & Media, and Central Government.
For long time listeners, Adrian will be a familiar guest, making his first appearance in episode 4, way back when I started this podcast almost 3 years ago.
For those that don’t know, Baringa is where I cut my teeth in consulting, spending 3 years from 2012 to 2015, working as part of their rapidly growing Financial Services practice.
Since our first interview, Adrian and I have kept in touch and I’ve learnt so much from him over that time. Knowing the journey that he and the Baringa team have been on since we recorded round one, I was really keen to have him back on the show to share the next chapter in the Baringa story and dig into more of Adrian’s own background and what drives him as a leader.
We cover a whole range of different and powerful topics in this one, including:
- Adrian’s upbringing and how his early experiences as a child set him on the path to where he is today.
- How Baringa have been able to grow so quickly over the last three years and the challenges that Adrian and his fellow partners have had to overcome during that time.
- And Adrian’s advice to other consulting leaders, how he’s had to adapt as the firm has grown and what he recommends for others looking to emulate Baringa’s success.
I always enjoy catching up with Adrian and it was great to be able to sit down with him for this round two interview and share all of his great insights and advice with you.
If you want to find out what it takes to become one of the leading firms in the consulting industry, then you’ll definitely want to give this a listen.
You can find out more about Baringa at – https://www.baringa.com/
Or listen to his previous episode at - https://bit.ly/3frVaID
Specific things discussed in the show
Soundtracks by Jon Acuff - https://amzn.to/2QneH4m
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz - https://amzn.to/2RXLL3A
Turning the Flywheel by Jim Collins - https://amzn.to/33SZ6wJ
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