Who needs expensive Consultants if your CEO is a Superhero?

Happy Friday Folks!

It's such a pleasure to sit down on a Friday and get my ideas on paper, or better on screen - 'cause we're online. I love what I do and feel blessed to have this opportunity through this newsletter.

If it was a letter I was writing to you, it would feel the same way, as I feel this connection to my readers and your feedback and conversations with some of you open inspiration of what is next to write about and what to focus as well in my business.

So in this sense, it's not just my ideas that you read about, but more a collective exchange of topics, taboos and sometimes inconvenient truth about what to look at or sometimes just an alternative way to approach business challenges.

Feeling uncomfortable is the first step when truth hits

For this Friday I have a super hot savings potential for the CEOs and Managers responsible for thousands of people and are at the verge of transforming their businesses: Get rid of consultants! Wow- this is really something, where my consultant heart - being really happy in working in consulting and helping to transform, accelerate and grow businesses, is now coming to it's own limits. But honestly, why do you have them on board? Is it, to hand over responsibility for what you don't want to do, look at, need to stand up for? Or is it truly you're lost with the current project, situation, business cycle, product launch and need advisory?

Take a minute and sit down and really let this sink in. Why do you hire consultants, external people to help you transform your business? Did you do the homework yourself first?

And here it comes.. the hot and cold feeling. The justification kicking in 'But I need fresh ideas, my team is not listening to me, best practices make us faster, we need extra hands for a limited time, new inspiration, leaner strategy, pricing plan for new portfolio and and and.. the list goes on and on and on.

Look at each of the 'excuses' you list there. Is it really that bad, that you need tons of justifications to make decisions, to pursue your strategy, to move into the future or to trust your gut or to delegate to the people you've employed?

Let's get back to the block section. Remember in the last newsletter - incase you haven't read it, I recommend to do so, as this is the next step towards the new version of you and your company and grow it steadily.

The block makes you feel uncomfortable. But maybe it's just because you are not used to it yet. Maybe it's because you have become a master by manoeuvring around the BLOCK or came up with so many teams, task forces, strategies that it has become part of the game. Every other year you need another fresh idea, consultant, external support. Is it like that? Does it feel like that? Or as an employee, do you fell your organization is like that? Than share this newsletter please with the CEO for whom this is. As a CEO you are 'appointed' to lead! Being 'appointed' means to be 'chosen'. It's not a job, it's not a paycheck it's responsibility and more than that, you are at the service of all people that work for you. In other words, you are the biggest service provider in your own business to your teams!

Don't let influencers take over

Have you observed when you hit a BLOCK as a CEO you realize 'Oh my god, I need help. Which is generally a great thing. Accepting and allowing help and letting things support you along your way is basically the right strategy for personal, financial and economic growth. Collaboration is what makes us thrive and asking for help is empowering ourselves and others. But now, let's cut to the chase: Asking for the right help is key. If you call in Consultants, externals to support your opinion, fine, if you need this extra chearleader support or extra pair of hands from the outside - let's get them onboard. Yet, don't forget to take the first step before the second and third and tenths step: Look at the BLOCK. Why do you hit this low in business? Why do you need a new innovation strategy that is inspired not by your genius, your vision, your passion, but by somebody else? What we often forget is: A CEO is a visionary. The visionary a company needs to thrive, to take this extra mile, to reach for the stars. Reaching for the stars is not something that comes from a coach, seminar who provides insights in 'how to lead with passion or empathy' or a fresh new innovation or organization design from the top notch consulting company. (Don't get me wrong, there is a place for all of that, but not, when the CEO hits a block or wants to take the next step). Than something else is required and this is addressing something we all overlook!

Passion, vision and a little craziness. In other words: superpowers. When you as the CEO hire a consultant - guess what, all of the three will not be there, cause you're 'outsourcing' that at a high cost - namely, losing control of your vision. You hand it to somebody else to improve, fix, transform it. Why? What I learned through all my experience in my different roles, companies and as well life is that transformation happens inside out. Innovation is often uncontrolled and out of a challenge. Yet, hiring an 'influencer' who's influencing us seemingly - even though very superficially and best case outside in - appears to get us faster to our results. At least, we fix it for the moment. So those who think my words are too brutal, too far fetched, let's get to the fundament of it.

Fixing is temporary - transforming is a process

We are transformation consultants, we help you to transform your business. What's happening most of the time is, the old processes are replaced with new processes, and believe me, I did this multiple times AS the consultant.

What I always observed was, that people involved in a change process did not really buy in to the change process, so the Management, the CEO decided to introduce a change and communication program, tools, teambuilding and all these things. Being really frustrated why that did not work like it should or took longer and more consulting hours than expected. In the worst case, the consultant was blamed, the process was cut short or the money ran out and we had to shift to a new strategy, hiring new consultants, with fresh perspective, replacing and mending the lose ends. Sounds familiar? I experienced that in corporate fortune 500 as well as in small and medium-sized and startups alike. Only difference - the check size varied between 10k and >100 Million USD or more for a transformation project. And it was not the wrong consultants it might have been the wrong consultants for your team, company, endeavor and it might have been you were not taking the responsibility and outsourced a challenge that was unsurmountable to anybody!

Feel the blood rising, feel the throat tightening, feel busted, look for excuses again, try to blame it on somebody, again, afraid to take the responsibility, show that it's something else you'd rather had done, but to scared to show up for what you truly want? As a CEO, the management, responsible for Millions of dollars, thousands of people, customers and a reputation?

But you saw it, fixing, introducing a new framework, only - if at all - helped temporarily. Like when you put an influencer to boost your brand. Be honest, is it, what you set out to do when you started your career, when you founded this company, when you took on the role as the ambitious student who had ideas and wanted to make it different.

Or the little boy, who started a flower business to earn money for his first Porsche at the age of 12 (true story). What were there dreams, wishes, desires?

You transformed already, in the person you are today. From this visionary, to the number driven CEO. Focused on the KPIs more on what matters to you. Are KPIs contributing to the world or is it an ego game?

What really brings transformation is NOT the leanest model, with the lowest possible salaries and people like to work for me because we have so many perks and great company incentives, no, it's about getting back to where you started. Passionate, vibrant, full of ideas and energy, the visionary you were. It's still there. And so the truth is, if you want to transform your business, it starts with your own transformation to the person that started out with this unique idea. As crazy as it sounds. And maybe it means a total pivot for your business. That's what transformation and growth and scaling is about. Use those blocks you come across and melt them. Transform them. Let something new emerge out of them.

If you delegate responsibility of your core - you destroy your fundament

The definition in the meriam webster online dictionary of responsibility "the state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one's power, control, or management". Read these words again. If you are willing to transform your business, it's like building it, starting with this first step and following your vision in your power, in your control. Often the challenge is why we are prone to let go of responsibility and outsource it or delegate it to an external party, is because we feel disempowered, unable to do it alone, stuck. And instead to claim back our power we outsource the power, giving more away, and more and more. So, we destroy bit by bit the fundament of your legacy.

Bummer, right?! Have you ever looked at the challenge ahead from this perspective? Good news is, now you know, and I planted this thought in your head, and now you'll think about it. Happens automatically and now, it's on you. To decide to grow or demolish your legacy. Maybe the work your father or mother had started to build, maybe your mentor handed over to you before he passed on. Or maybe it was your life's dream and now you are at a point of either selling or transforming or looking for a successor.

Responsibility is Freedom

Responsibility is not pressure, it's not a burden, it's in fact freedom. Freedom to make decisions, freedom to take directions, to hold still, to speed up to pivot.

Responsibility provides freedom to others, that follow you, you give free space to thrive.

Responsibility is action and not delegation. You delegate tasks, but the responsibility of your business, is something that you decide to take or not. If you are ready to grow, and take on more responsibility you will stabilize, inside out - if not, well, you see what happens. Up and down, burning questions that keep you up at night and so forth.

With my clients I work on claiming this power back in a 90 days program. Becoming their own superhero again and claim back their power and become the transformation guide, the coach, the leader, the catalyst of the new themselves. You don't need to go on a retreat, in the Himalayas or neglect your business. In fact, discovering your passion will take you closer to your core, your creativity (even when you consider yourself as not creative) you are a business leader so you already 'created' something. How much more creative can it get? Your business is proof you ARE a creator.

It will happen as an intensive exclusive and you'll feel work disappearing while we proceed instead of an extra time commitment. And part of the strategy we develop in that 90 days will include how and when and if to include consultants on this transformation or if you have the right resources already right in front of you.

I'd be thrilled to getting you that extra savings this year and tangible, controllable results, driven by you and accompanying you on you scaling/pivoting or transforming your business. Your business is an expression of you. So what is it currently reflecting and what do you want to do differently?

It's not about the savings - it's about making a difference in the world and fulfilling your responsibility as a visionary in the role of a CEO of your company, or the company you are appointed as CEO. God, while writing this it is even more obvious: Being appointed, shows the power and responsibility you have. Not in terms of numbers but leadership. So I invite you to get your power back and move with this new attitude, energy, passion, love and vision - you are a superhero, act like one.

Reach out when you're ready - share, link, forward for those who really are down to make a difference and create jobs that people love!

Happy Weekend!

Danny

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Words that inspired me

Body leads mind follows. - Victoria Washington

You body tells you exactly what you need, this hot and cold feeling, the tightening throat, the need to run away, the insomnia.. all of that is a sign, to do something.

Books I love

The Creative Act: A Way of Being. - Rick Rubin

Superheroes

Dreams cost nothing. They are free. The hard part is just to keeping them going. - Sylvester Stalone