Strategy consultant green flags
I often bang on about the red flags surrounding the strategy profession. Today, let's breathe and ask ourselves: what are some strategy green flags?
They recognise that their value is in what gets done, not how smart or right they are. Their job is to spark more interesting actions.
They know how to think on the spot and help others think on the spot. You know they won't treat meetings as their personal show.
They appreciate the organisational politics surrounding the sell-in of the thinking and the work. And they help clients navigate them.
They are active listeners, because they know clients may already have meaningful thinking done and the job is to help it come out.
They enjoy challenging assumptions but do so gently. This is not just people pleasing, it's how you help people buy into new ideas.
They favour honest discussions over polished presentations, because this removes unnecessary barriers to solve a problem.
They're always thinking how something can be made simpler or clearer, because this is how ideas stick outside the marketing team.
They appreciate that the final strategy wording may not be theirs, but this doesn't matter as long as the collective result is useful.
They're not afraid to suggest ways in without having all the data, because sometimes you need to experiment your way to answers.
They don't tell clients "be brave", they help them make the case for why a decision or idea would actually make good business sense.
Inspired by this excellent post.
