Excellent post, Walt. MECs definitely apply to both startups and partnerships too. I speak from experience, whereby I've over-invested without any form of guarantee that other parties are equally invested and/or committed. The conditions/symptoms you gave are also very relevant and relatable.
Glad you penned this. This should be a required reading in new consultant orientation programs.
8 pm
Overzealous SM to a new consultant fresh out of b-school:
Pull together slides with thought leadership, credentials, and data to support our value prop for the meeting with “Bob” tomorrow morning
Consultant: Sounds interesting, I’ll text “Bob” for data as a token of their MEC right away.
Overzealous SM: DON’T! Just look up for something similar on practice’s SharePoint.
Consultant: I’m so sorry, I just realized that I have a late physical therapy appointment tonight - still recovering from that skiing injury. You might want to check with Mary, she did something similar for another client last year.
Ha! I think he was mine too! It was great to meet up with him and a bunch of our colleagues in Tokyo for dinner 3 years ago! Great stories and memories!
I've been part of discussions where there's a suggestion that we staff an experienced technology strategist at an established client for a few weeks, for free, to help build favor/influence with a client executive in a new technology leadership role.
I needed your "MEC" phrase to better explain how that strategist would have a hard time getting meetings with said executive, and that any strategy or advice they produced would be unlikely to generate any meaningful action or follow on work with the exec.
I wish had read this back in 1985. Would have saved me many wasted hours...
Excellent post, Walt. MECs definitely apply to both startups and partnerships too. I speak from experience, whereby I've over-invested without any form of guarantee that other parties are equally invested and/or committed. The conditions/symptoms you gave are also very relevant and relatable.
well said. must read for any consultant. maybe also for procurement departments....
Glad you penned this. This should be a required reading in new consultant orientation programs.
8 pm
Overzealous SM to a new consultant fresh out of b-school:
Pull together slides with thought leadership, credentials, and data to support our value prop for the meeting with “Bob” tomorrow morning
Consultant: Sounds interesting, I’ll text “Bob” for data as a token of their MEC right away.
Overzealous SM: DON’T! Just look up for something similar on practice’s SharePoint.
Consultant: I’m so sorry, I just realized that I have a late physical therapy appointment tonight - still recovering from that skiing injury. You might want to check with Mary, she did something similar for another client last year.
Thanks Tony - that is exactly how the conversations go !!
Great thoughts on relationship building, Walt! That Yoshi sounds like a very wise man, too!
Yoshi was my Yoda !!!
Ha! I think he was mine too! It was great to meet up with him and a bunch of our colleagues in Tokyo for dinner 3 years ago! Great stories and memories!
I've been part of discussions where there's a suggestion that we staff an experienced technology strategist at an established client for a few weeks, for free, to help build favor/influence with a client executive in a new technology leadership role.
I needed your "MEC" phrase to better explain how that strategist would have a hard time getting meetings with said executive, and that any strategy or advice they produced would be unlikely to generate any meaningful action or follow on work with the exec.
Thanks Chris - we all so easily jump in to invest - and we are in the pool all alone !