Climb In Consulting

Today’s episode was prompted by my recent interview with Andrew Denton from Alfa Systems where we discuss the importance of Mentoring. Mentorship, advice and guidance from senior colleagues and other successful people has been a huge part of my career development and this podcast wouldn’t exist without it. I’m a big believer in the power of mentorship and as Tony Robbins says “If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you'll achieve the same results.” Identifying, reaching out to and learning from Mentors is something that I’ve received lots of questions about so I wanted to do a short episode to share my advice for those of you looking to find and learn from mentors, both inside and outside of your firm. I hope you find this episode useful. If there’s any other topics that you’d like me to do an episode on just drop me an email Nick@climbinconsulting.com

Today’s guest is Andrew Denton. Andrew is Chief Executive Officer of Alfa Systems, the leading international asset finance and leasing software company. Having joined the company in 1995 he successfully worked his way up, becoming a member of the Board in 2003 as Sales and Marketing Director. He was made Chief Operating Officer in 2010 and became CEO in September 2016. In addition to his role at Alfa He is also Director and joint founder of the Leasing Foundation, an organisation that supports the leasing and asset finance industry through charitable activities, research and development. Andrew was recommended to me by two close friends of mine as someone I must get on the podcast and he certainly didn’t disappoint. The advice and insights he shares throughout this interview are fantastic and I had a great time interviewing him. We cover so much ground in this conversation including: Andrew’s path to CEO and his advice to those looking to do the same. The importance of developing sales skills regardless of your role if you’re looking to climb in your company. What he learnt from Alfa’s IPO and his advice to others who may be considering doing the same. The importance of finding and building relationships with Mentors to help you accelerate your career. As my first guest from a listed software and services business it was great to get his unique perspective on the market and advice for others looking to emulate his and Alfa’s success. You can find out more about Andrew and connect with him through his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewwdenton/ You can find out more about Alfa Systems at https://www.alfasystems.com   Specific Things We Discuss: The blokes guide to pregnancy by Jon Smith  - http://amzn.eu/d/9OF2V2d The sixty minute father by Rob Parsons - http://amzn.eu/d/girxojz The Jersey: The All Blacks: The Secrets Behind the World's Most Successful Team by Peter Bills - http://amzn.eu/d/iFCvidm The Real McCaw: Richie McCaw: The Autobiography by Richie McCaw - http://amzn.eu/d/gBs2iG3 Numis - https://www.numiscorp.com/x/default.html Barclays - https://www.investmentbank.barclays.com/ Tulchan - http://www.tulchangroup.com/ Whitecase - https://www.whitecase.com/ Alfa’s Non Executive Directors  - https://investors.alfasystems.com/media/board-of-directors Tim Cook - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Cook Bill Mcdermott - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_McDermott Nile Rodgers - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile_Rodgers Madonna - https://www.madonna.com/ Bill Gates - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gates The Gates Foundation - https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ TED interview with Elon Musk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQtMqdYgFH0 Flipboard - https://flipboard.com/ You can find out more about Andrew on his Linkedin page - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewwdenton/ You can find out more about Alfa at https://www.alfasystems.com/eu/

Today’s guest is Tony Restell. Tony is co-founder of Top-Consultant, the industry’s leading career website, and founder of Social-Hire, a social media marketing agency that counts many consulting firms amongst its client base and helps Partners in those firms to generate client leads for their practices. If you work in the UK Consulting industry then you will know Top-Consultant. It is a site that everyone I know in the industry uses, me included. In my case, Top-Consultant has led me to apply for roles that have turned in to friendships with some of the people who have appeared on this podcast.  In a world where businesses are being disrupted and challenged almost every day I’ve always admired how Top-Consultant has been able to keep such a dominant market position for so long and Tony was kind enough to share his secrets for this in today’s interview. We cover so much ground in this conversation including: How Top-Consultant started and the unusual tactics Tony used to grow the business in its early days.  How Top-Consultant grew over the years and how Tony and his co-founder were able to stay receptive to changing industry demands to keep their offering front and centre in the market.  Tony’s advice for other entrepreneurs or those thinking of launching their own business, in tech, consulting or any other field. And the importance of understanding and leveraging social media like LinkedIn when it comes to building your career or your business. Tony shares so much great advice in this episode and it was fantastic to speak with someone whose business has been such an important part of the Consulting Industry for so long. If you’re considering launching your own business or want to understand how you can grow your current business then this episode is a must listen. You can find out more about Tony on his Linkedin page - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyrestell/ You can find out more about Top-Consultant at http://www.top-consultant.com    You can find out more about Social Hire at https://www.social-hire.com/  Specific things we discuss in this show:  Roland Berger - https://www.rolandberger.com    Top-Consultant ‘Art of Selling’ training course - http://events.top-consultant.com/uk/careerconference/423/The-Art-Of-Selling-Consulting-Services/  The 4 hour work week by Tim Ferriss – http://amzn.eu/d/5QUWzpd    Dot Com Secrets by Russell Brunson - http://amzn.eu/d/ilGFqsU

Today’s guest is Jo Miles. Jo is an Executive Coach and the founder of Master Your Transition, her Coaching and Consulting business. Drawing upon two decades of Management Consulting and Coaching expertise, Jo empowers and supports individuals, teams and organisations to explore challenges, gain insight and take practical steps to achieve and sustain change. Jo is a Coach and trusted advisor to senior Partners at some of the worlds biggest consulting firms and has worked with clients at the likes of Strategy &, Baringa Partners and North Highland to name but a few. We cover some really interesting topics in today’s interview including: How Jo became a Coach What Coaching is, who should consider it and why it’s important for your career. The common challenges Jo finds clients struggle with and her advice on how to deal with them How you can tell a good Coach from a bad one and the questions you should ask when assessing whether a Coach is right for you. The importance of using Coaching as a positive tool for improvement and not a negative tool to deal with poor performance And much much more! Jo was a great guest and gave some fantastic insights in to an area of the industry that many people have heard about but very few have experienced. If you’re looking to take your career to the next level and want to understand more about how Coaching can help you do this then this interview is a must listen! You can find out more about Master Your Transition at http://www.masteryourtransition.co.uk/  You can find out more about Jo on Linked In at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-miles-0283461/  Specific things we discuss in this show: Selecting your Coach – following our interview Jo wanted to add a key point on how to select your coach related to understanding their CPD. Enter Jo: “Please note that CPD can mean attending conferences, training courses, academic lectures and supervision.  Supervision is an important aspect of CPD, as it shows Coaches are consciously seeking to develop themselves and their practice through working with a supervisor” Tatiana bachkirova - https://www.brookes.ac.uk/business/about/staff/myprofile/?wid=bus-academic-list&op=full&uid=p0035809 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey - http://amzn.eu/d/62NyrJC The Chimp Paradox by Stephen Peters - http://amzn.eu/d/3aF7ggs Triggers by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter - http://amzn.eu/d/3c1Obmh   Intelligence In The Flesh by Guy Claxton - http://amzn.eu/d/8V5Mv2Z Act Like A Leader, Think Like A Leader by Herminia Ibarra - http://amzn.eu/d/8j85oGk   Presence by Amy Cuddy - http://amzn.eu/d/9M6cIKx    Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk on Power Poses - https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?language=en   Mastery by Robert Greene - http://amzn.eu/d/7yuT5uP

Today’s Guest is Matt Rogan, Matt is chairman and co-founder of Two Circles. Exclusively working with sports rights-holders, Two Circles is part strategy consultancy, part digital agency, and part data and analytics house. Since co-founding the business in 2011, Two Circles has grown rapidly to a team of 150 people across the UK, North America and Europe. Following the sale of the majority stake in the business to WPP in 2015, Matt took up the role as Chairman. Supporting and challenging the Two Circles management team to deliver bigger and better results across all areas of the business. In addition to his role at Two Circles Matt is a published author and has been featured in the likes of the Harvard Business Review and the Journal of Sports Management. We go in to detail on a whole range of topics in this interview including: What led Matt and his co-founders to start Two Circles and the structures they put in place to set it up for success. Leading a ‘millennial’ team and the lessons for anyone looking to grow a young, dynamic organisation. The importance of process and systems in building a business, even at the start up phase, and how this helped Matt and the team grow rapidly avoiding many of the issues that new businesses face. How Matt and his co-founders achieved work life balance while leading a rapidly growing business. What to do if you’re a graduate looking to follow a career in sport. And much much more! I really enjoyed this conversation with Matt and took so much away from what he had to say. If you’re looking for clear, practical advice on how to grow your own consulting business or practice area then you’re going to love this interview. You can find out more about Two Circles at – http://insidetwocircles.com/ You can find out more about Matt on Linked In – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattrogan/ And Twitter – https://twitter.com/mattrogansport?lang=en Or drop him an email at Matt.Rogan@insidetwocircles.com Specific Things We Discuss In the Show: Lane 4 - https://www.lane4performance.com/ Adrian moorhouse - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Moorhouse Dom moorhouse - http://dommoorhouse.com/ Greg Searle - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Searle Mastering Soft Skills by Julian Vyner - http://amzn.eu/d/fsSA1L0 Players by Matthew Futterman - http://amzn.eu/d/fDflklv Managing the professional services firm by David Maister - http://amzn.eu/d/jc9ee62

This episode was the result of a number of conversations I've had recently with people considering leaving their Consulting firm or the industry in general. While everyone's situation and reasons for wanting a change is unique I believe that there are some common threads that could help anyone considering a career change, be it within Consulting or outside of it. In this episode I share the advice I've given during these conversations including: The questions to ask yourself if you're thinking of leaving your Consulting firm The 'well trodden paths' that people take after consulting and the good and bad of each The one thing you should do regardless of what you're thinking of doing next If you're thinking of where to take your career next, I hope this helps.

Of all of the skills that my guests have said are critical to success in Consulting sales, and being able to sell, is one that comes up time and time again. Both Stephen Newton and Tim Smeaton highlighted it as one of the key skills you should learn early in your career to help accelerate your success. David Lancefield highlighted it as one of the key skills you need to make Partner in his firm and one of the common things that is missing from those who fail to make it to the top. With all of these successful leaders talking about how critical sales is I've had a number of you ask me how you can apply this advice if you're at the junior end of your firm and don't have the experience or level in your Consultancy to be able to walk in to a CEO's office and pitch business to them. This episode is to answer exactly that question. My advice on sales for junior Consultants. How you can help your firm with business development and be seen as someone with an aptitude for sales regardless of how senior or experienced you are. I hope you find this useful. If you have any feedback or would like me to do similar episodes on other topics just drop me an email - Nick@climbinconsulting.com

Today’s guest is David Lancefield. David is a Partner in Strategy&, PwC. David is a TEDx speaker and has been featured In the Harvard Business Review, Huffington Post, Financial Times and numerous other publications. He is also the host of his own podcast ‘transformation talks’ which I’d highly recommend checking it out David’s approach and outlook are hugely refreshing and something that anyone with aspirations of make Partner should take note of. If you want to get a flavour for this you can check him out on twitter @Dlancefield and see the thought provoking posts he puts out on a daily basis. David has a huge amount of experience and shares so many great insights in this conversation including: The importance of being yourself at work and what this means both for project managers and project team members. How to find your sweet spot and let others know what you’re good at. The importance of feedback both up and down a Consulting firm’s hierarchy and the mistakes people make in giving and receiving feedback that hold them back. How to make Partner in a big 4 firm and the common mistakes that those who fail to get there make. The importance of developing and managing your personal brand as a Consultant both within and outside your firm. And much, much more! Having listened to the first episode of David’s Transformation Talks I thought this would be a good interview and I have to say it exceeded all of my expectations! In-depth and actionable advice from a senior leader in one of the world’s biggest Consulting firms. I hope you enjoy it. You can find out more about  David on his Linked In Page https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidclancefield/    And on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Dlancefield?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor   Specific Things We Discuss in the show: Dan Cable - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-cable-a0b581a0 Transformation Talks by PwC - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/transformation-talks/id1400295044?mt=2   PwC’s apprenticeship scheme - https://www.pwc.co.uk/careers/school-jobs/jobs.html   David’s TED talk “How business can tap into all of our special needs“ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezXZ4z9QqiI The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - http://amzn.eu/enn0cvN How will you measure your life? by Clay Christiensen, Karen Dillon and James Allworth - http://amzn.eu/3zScfNe   Alive at Work by Dan Cable - http://amzn.eu/04NezdI

Today’s guest is Jeff Wellstead. Jeff is CEO of Big Bear Partners and Chief Strategy Officer at GtmHub. Jeff is an expert in helping rapidly growing or hyper growth start ups manage their people challenges effectively. Before moving in to Consulting Jeff was the VP of Global HR at Message Labs and Global Director of HR at SpinVox.  In both roles Jeff was responsible for helping these rapidly growing starts up overcome the people challenges as they grew and continue their hyper growth trajectories. In the case of SpinVox Jeff oversaw the 9 fold expansion of the team from just 50 people to over 450 in under 2 years! As a consultant Jeff works with organisations to create the environment to allow their people to thrive and succeed at work while supporting the founding teams in overcoming the  strategic challenges that they face as hyper growth start ups. We cover some really interesting topics in this conversation including: How Jeff and the team grew SpinVox so quickly and the challenges they faced along the way The people and cultural challenges that hyper growth start ups face as they scale and the  warning signs you need to watch out for if you’re growing a business The importance of understanding where you are in your growth journey and ensuring you build the necessary structures to maintain your unique culture as your firm grows The importance of employee experience In todays world  and what you should be thinking about if you’re looking to recruit and retain the top talent in the industry And much much more! You can find out more about Jeff on her LinkedIn page – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrwellstead/ You can email Jeff at Jeff@BigBearPartners.com Specific Things We Discuss in The Show: Dunbars number - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_number   Message lab - https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/messagelabs   SpinVox - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpinVox     Employees First, Customers Second by Vineet Nayar - http://amzn.eu/edvxufq Exponential Organisations by Salim Ismail, Michael Malone and Yuri van Geest - http://amzn.eu/henljqZ

Today’s episode is episode 20 of the podcast and to celebrate reaching 20 episodes I wanted to share my 7 biggest career and life lessons from running the podcast! The 7 Lessons that I discuss in today’s episode: The power of Linked In for Business Development The importance of Personal Brand in today’s business world Why you should focus on delivering value first The importance on focusing on the right things and not worrying about making everything perfect How to delight your customers/clients/guests The importance of testing and iteration And why everyone should do a podcast! Things I mentioned in today’s show: Matt Cheung’s interview - https://www.climbinconsulting.com/podcast/matt-cheung-clarasys Kano Analysis - https://medium.com/design-ibm/kano-model-ways-to-use-it-and-not-use-it-1d205a9cf808 Tim Ferriss – Fear Setting - https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_ferriss_why_you_should_define_your_fears_instead_of_your_goals