My first project was at a shipyard. Over dinner, my seasoned colleagues inquired about the "Consulting 101" course I had just completed before joining the project. We began discussing the term "Client Service," which was used extensively during training, but never truly defined.
I asked my team, "what does 'client service' mean to you?"Three years later now, I can't remember their answers, but I remember mine.
"I think 'client service' means that you care - personally, and emotionally, about the well-being of your client. It means that you care about the outcome, and want your answer to their problem to be the answer you would get if you WERE them."Today, the trouble is, I no longer care.
I've seen projects that I've been proud of. But I've also seen projects where I just don't believe in the answer. The clients have been happy, but I don't believe in my heart that it will change the client, or lead to incremental EBIT, or make their employees feel more confident about their company.
I've certainly made my firm money, and our client points of contact are happy. But I don't think the client's shareholders, and the larger client organization particularly benefited.
It's not that we destroyed value; it's just that we made a stack of slides that made everyone look good, but didn't lead to any change. You could say the final briefout deck is like the Emporer's New Clothes. Nobody understands it, but everybody pretends to be impressed by how it looks.Since I don't care anymore, I don't have any choice.
So I'm quitting.
