These slides are from a webinar delivered by Deri Hughes, Honeycomb PS Founder and Consulting Skills Expert.
Deri goes through the Honeycomb Consulting Skills Accelerator - a tried-and-tested toolkit to drive skill developing in professional services firms.
By deploying this approach firms can add £500k profit per consultant over 5 years - by progressing their teams faster to get more leverage.
There are 9 parts to the toolkit that Deri covers in the webinar:
- Vision
- Strategy
- Capabilities
- Team
- Project Experience
- Coaching
- Training
- Feedback
- Measurement
Get in touch if you want to know more (deri.hughes@honeycombps.co.uk)
2. You’ll learn how
(and why) to help
your team develop
their skills faster
Tried-and-tested
approach you can
implement
Welcome to today’s webinar!
Consulting
Skills Accelerator
Profit growth from
high performing
teams
2
3. You’ll learn how
(and why) to help
your team develop
their skills faster
Tried-and-tested
approach you can
implement
Interactive session
– ask questions, help
me tailor it to you
Get the guidance
YOU need
Welcome to today’s webinar!
Consulting
Skills Accelerator
Profit growth from
high performing
teams
3
4. Interactive session
– ask questions, help
me tailor it to you
Get the guidance
YOU need
Welcome to today’s webinar!
You’ll learn how
(and why) to help
your team develop
their skills faster
Tried-and-tested
approach you can
implement
Consulting
Skills Accelerator
Profit growth from
high performing
teams
Introduce yourself
in Chat as we get
started
We’re here to help
each other
4
10. Accelerating skill development can enable today’s
Consultant to contribute £500k+ more profit over 5 years
1 - 2
years
C
Typical
£80 - 90k margin
C C
Sen C
Typical
£270 - 300k margin
Sen C
Manager
Sen C
C C C C
Typical
£650 - 700k margin
1 - 2
years
Reducing “time-to-promote” by just 6 months can increase total margin
that person contributes by half a million pounds over a 5-year period
@ 2-year promotions = £1.5m over 5 years
@ 1.5-year promotions = £2.0m over 5 years
10
11. How fast could your team be ready for the next level?
11
22 23
15
16
12 12
0
5
10
15
20
25
Firm 1
(40 people)
Firm 2
(90 people)
Firm 3
(45 people)
Average months to promotion
(before / after implementing Consulting Skills Accelerator)
Before CSA After CSA
6 months faster
11 months faster
3 months faster
13. Feedback
Measurement
Projects
Coaching
Training
Vision
Strategy
Capabilities
Team
Stage 1: Make a Plan
Vision
• Reason your firm exists: Big Hairy Audacious Goal
Strategy
• Your best guess of how to achieve your Vision
• Where to Play & How to Win decisions
Capabilities
• What your team needs to be able to do
Skills that win you clients
Skills to deliver win-win projects
Skills to run your business
14. What do my team need to be brilliant at? Capabilities
14
Least
important
Most
important
Most
important
Underpins your
differentiation
(“Give our clients
compelling reasons to
choose us”)
Underpins your value delivery
(“Keep our promises to clients”)
Least
important
Differentiated
and core to
value delivery
15. The Honeycomb Consulting Skills Framework
Deliver, Manage, Lead, Grow, Build Trust
Build Trust
Connect with
colleagues & clients
Grow
Build reputation
& grow revenue
Lead
Set standards &
inspire the team
Be known
for your
expertise
Create
long-term
clients
Scope
win-win
projects
Win work
Create
structure
Drive
the work
Find an
answer
Communicate
for action
Build
the team
Improve
operations
Measure
what
matters
Be a team
player
Create
the culture
Make
a plan Manage
the team
Test &
iterate
Deliver
Solve complex
problems for clients
Manage
Run projects and teams
to keep your promises
15
Capabilities
16. Skills develop from Base to Master
Grow
Lead
Be known
for your
expertise
Create
long-term
clients
Scope
win-win
projects
Win work
Create
structure
Find an
answer
Drive
to action
Build
the team
Improve
operations
Measure
what
matters
Be a team
player
Create
the culture
Manage
the team
Test &
iterate
Break
through
barriers
Plan
the work
Deliver
Manage
Illustrative Example: Win Work
Purpose Our existing clients are a valuable source of potential, but
we cannot achieve our goals without winning new clients
Base • Supports with drafting sections of proposals
• Conducts market research to identify new
opportunities
• Builds rapport with inbound enquiries and refers on
Good • Understands the firm’s Account and Opportunity
Management Processes
• Attends BD meetings and contributes effectively
• Understands some Sales tools & techniques
Excellent • Uses CRM in line with agreed best practices
• Can confidently articulate/discuss relevant propositions
with prospects, tailoring to their specific needs
• For identified opportunities, can articulate clients’
decision process and define key buying influencers
• Identifies buying influencers personal drivers and
ensures these are covered off in proposals
• Can use best practice objection handling techniques
(price / value / budget, suitability, alternatives)
Master • Sets and achieves sales objectives that contribute to
overarching Account plan objectives
• Rigorously plans and executes a high-quality sales
process from lead gen to new engagements
• Consistently excellent in using best practice objection
handling techniques (price / value / budget, proposal
suitability, competitors)
• Delivers sales targets for existing and new business
Build
Trust
Base
Good
Excellent
Master
16
Capabilities
17. Just launched: Consulting Skills Accelerator Toolkit
17
Get access to:
• 100 Consulting Capabilities
• 400 detailed Skill Definitions
• Dynamic Review Templates
• Workplans & workshop agendas
• Decision processes
• Benefits Estimator
• Internal Comms Plan
Use code EARLYBIRD to get a
£200 discount (only 5 left)
https://honeycombps.gumroad.com/l/Consulting-Skills-Accelerator-Toolkit
18. Feedback
Measurement
Vision
Strategy
Capabilities
Projects
Coaching
Training
Team
Making it Practical: What’s your best first step?
Purpose Outcomes
• Know where you’re going
and what it will take to get
there
• Clarity of strategic focus
• Detailed competency
framework
• Each person knows what
good looks like for them
18
Make
a Plan
Start to
Execute
Learn
& Iterate
Approach
• Senior team workshop(s)
• Develop competency
framework
• Create templates & guidelines
• Make sure the team understand
20. Feedback
Measurement
Vision
Strategy
Capabilities
Stage 2: Start to Execute
Team
• Attract & motivate the people you need
Projects
• On-the-job experiences (delivery & sales)
Coaching
• Frequent & focused in-the-moment guidance
Training
• Formal exposure to key skills – learn & practice
Projects
Coaching
Training
Team
21. build equity value
the link back to strategy
move faster
learn from mistakes
drive development
Executing on Skills Acceleration: 5 Principles
21
Think long-term
Use your competency framework
Define decision processes
Create a coaching culture
Set standards through training
22. Skill development happens in 3 ways (70/20/10 model)
Training
10%
(formal training)
Induction
Training
New Promote
Training
Trainer-led Sessions
Structured Self-directed Learning
Coaching
20%
(interactions with others)
Project
Allocations
70%
(on-the-job)
12 – 18 months
Project 1
Project 2 (3 Phases)
Project 3
Project 4
Lunch & Learn
sessions
Regular coaching sessions throughout each project
Performance coach / mentor discussions
23. Project Allocations: Factor in Development priorities
Project
Allocations
Decisions
Escalate / make
trade-offs
Engage
contractors
Assign from
existing team
Employee
capability &
availability
Employee
needs and
preferences
Skills &
Experience
Capacity
Forecasting
Freelancer
network
Personal
constraints
(e.g., travel)
Target
Career Path
Sales
Pipeline
Highly
likely
projects
Confirmed
projects
Pre-allocations
made
Employee Needs
Talent Supply
Forecasting
Single ultimate decision maker,
but heavy input
from the senior team
Personal
Development
Plans
24. Creating a coaching culture requires commitment from everyone
24
2. Do
3. Coach
1. Plan
• Jointly agree development
goals - max 3 at a time
• Person tries out new
behaviours
• Observe the results
• In-the-moment coaching discussions
• Reflect on attempted behaviours
• Discuss lessons learned & new things to try
Only works if everyone
is committed to having
coaching conversations
25. Scan the QR code for the recording of our Training Curriculum Design webinar
Training curriculum design is a complex set of decisions
Who?
What?
How?
When?
Roles & Seniority
Skills & Behaviours
Delivery
Types
Instructional
Strategies
Content Formats Trainers
Career Calendar Capacity
25
Scan me!
26. Vision
Strategy
Capabilities
Projects
Coaching
Training
Team
Making it Practical: What’s your best first step?
Purpose Outcomes
• Know where you’re going
and what it will take to get
there
• Clarity of strategic focus
• Detailed competency
framework
• Each person knows what
good looks like for them
• Build and develop the
team that you need
• Drive skills acceleration
• Better hiring decisions
• Project allocations that
deliberately develop
• Coaching culture
• Focused formal training
26
Make
a Plan
Start to
Execute
Feedback
Measurement
Learn
& Iterate
Approach
• Senior team workshop(s)
• Develop competency
framework
• Create templates & guidelines
• Make sure the team understand
• Capabilities embedded in hiring
processes
• Defined project allocations
decision process & ownership
• Make coaching a priority
• Focus training on skills gaps
28. Vision
Strategy
Capabilities
Stage 3: Learn, Iterate & Improve
Feedback
• Formal, data-driven, guidance on how individuals
are performing
• Informs promotion & performance management
Measurement
• Make decisions based on data
• Not just outcomes - leading indicators & ripples
• Impact on individuals, peers, firm, and clients
Feedback
Measurement
Projects
Coaching
Training
Team
29. Development
Priorities
PDPs &
OKRs
Decision
Meeting
• Senior Team review of
everyone in the business
• Decisions on promotions,
bonus, salaries
• Identify any individuals
needing extra support or
disciplinary / exit process
Consolidated
Review
Bi-annual
Appraisal
Self-Assessment
Project Review 1
Project Review 2
Skill Expectations
Update
Firm Training
Plans
• Review PDPs to identify
consistent gaps to
address
• Update training
priorities to address key
gaps for individuals /
groups / the firm
Project Review 3
Build a systematic, transparent, feedback process
Review after
every project, or
minimum every
8-12 weeks
Transparent decision
process every
6-12 months
Feedback
29
Feedback Data
Templates (reviews, self-assessments, PDPs) built from competency framework
31. Know what’s working, and why
31
Measurement
Output Metrics
1. Promotion
Progression
Rate
2. Partner
Delivery Time
32. Know what’s working, and why
32
Measurement
Output Metrics
1. Promotion Progression Rate
2. Partner Delivery Time
Leading Indicators
3. Performance Reviews
4. Decision Effectiveness
5. Regretted Churn
33. Know what’s working, and why
33
Measurement
Output Metrics
1. Promotion Progression Rate
2. Partner Delivery Time
3. Performance Reviews
4. Decision Effectiveness
5. Regretted Churn
Leading Indicators
Reach & Sentiment
6. Compliance with Plan
7. Team Happiness
8. Impact of Behaviours
34. Know what’s working, and why
34
Measurement
Output Metrics
1. Promotion Progression Rate
2. Partner Delivery Time
3. Performance Reviews
4. Decision Effectiveness
5. Regretted Churn
Leading Indicators
6. Compliance with Plan
7. Team Happiness
8. Impact of Behaviours
Reach & Sentiment
Measurement Principles
1. Start somewhere – just start
2. Focus on informing decisions
3. Manual at first, then automate
4. Default to transparency
5. Learning, not managing
35. Feedback
Measurement
Vision
Strategy
Capabilities
Projects
Coaching
Training
Team
Making it Practical: What’s your best first step?
Purpose Outcomes Approach
• Know where you’re going
and what it will take to get
there
• Clarity of strategic focus
• Detailed competency
framework
• Each person knows what
good looks like for them
• Senior team workshop(s)
• Develop competency
framework
• Create templates & guidelines
• Make sure the team understand
• Build and develop the
team that you need
• Drive skills acceleration
• Better hiring decisions
• Project allocations that
deliberately develop
• Coaching culture
• Focused formal training
• Capabilities embedded in hiring
processes
• Defined project allocations
decision process & ownership
• Make coaching a priority
• Focus training on skills gaps
• Each person in the team
knows how they are doing
and what is working for
their skill development
• Clear, trusted, data when
decision makers need it
• Consistent & transparent
performance & promotion
decision processes
• Ongoing improvements
• Upgrade performance review
processes
• Monitor impact data
(individual, peer, firm, client)
• Automate data capture,
synthesis & reporting
35
Make
a Plan
Start to
Execute
Learn
& Iterate
37. Interested in Consulting Skills Development?! Join us in Slack
37
Feedback survey
- We’d love your feedback
- It’ll take <5 minutes & you can opt-in to join our Slack Community
- Ask questions, get first access to new content, and discuss your
challenges with others in the same situation
38. Just launched: Consulting Skills Accelerator Toolkit
38
Get access to:
• 100 Consulting Capabilities
• 400 detailed Skill Definitions
• Dynamic Review Templates
• Workplans & workshop agendas
• Decision processes
• Benefits Estimator
• Internal Comms Plan
Use code EARLYBIRD to get a
£200 discount (only 5 left)
https://honeycombps.gumroad.com/l/Consulting-Skills-Accelerator-Toolkit
39. www.honeycombps.co.uk
When you’re ready, here’s 3 ways we can help:
1. No obligation training needs discussion
2. Free Consulting Skills Mastery
newsletter: blog.honeycombps.co.uk
3. Future webinars & workshops
Deri Hughes
deri.hughes@honeycombps.co.uk
+44 (0) 7730 748 531