The Budburst approach to goal-setting with our client partners

By Jamaica Slicer , Managing Partner and Embedded Solutions Leader

Brian Michael and I sat at a table in a barn on his farm in Virginia with our computers in front of us, one of his dogs (pictured) clacking around on the floor while the wind outside gently whistled. We were in that focused mental space where every ounce of your attention and heart is focused on a worthwhile project. In that moment, it was identifying and documenting the Budburst company values.

Budburst’s first value came easily: We are accountable for our client partners’ outcomes.

For us, this means:

• The Budburst team is embedded within our client organizations.
• We prioritize activity that will generate measurable results.
• We aggressively seek to empower, teach, and “graduate” our partners on the most efficient path.

We apply and monitor this value in our client engagements. For example, one of our clients is focused on rapidly growing their sales pipeline. Their specific revenue goals are outlined in our statement of work. We hold ourselves accountable to these outcomes by:

1. Consistently measuring our progress and being transparent.
2. Prioritizing activities that will efficiently deliver results by challenging ourselves and our client to define both the impact and urgency.?
3. Documenting, delivering, and practicing solutions with our client so that they can be applied even after our partnership is completed.

We consistently hear that our approach is different. Traditional consultants and advisory firms focus on time tracking or specific deliverables. While those can be important leading indicators, ultimately success should be measured by the impact those things have.

Next week, Brian will share how a focus on mutual goal-setting like we do with our own clients can be applied in your organization. In addition, be sure to follow Budburst, because we have some other exciting things in the works that we know you will find insightful and fun!