What If You Get Stuck While Working On The Project?

You know those moments when you have a lot of analysis in progress, but none of them are quite ready to show leadership and clients?

Typically, this happens in the first 2-3 weeks of any project. These are always uncomfortable and stressful times. I hated them when I was a consultant.

The team is still ramping up. Clients are being slow to provide data. However, leadership is already anxious to impress clients and apply pressure on the team.

I have learned one trick that helps to gain momentum early in a project. I actually learned it from a Business analyst who once worked on my team. Then I battle-tested it in a few situations. It always works like clockwork.

I staffed Nick on one of the most complex projects that I led. He was a nice and likable guy. Always cheerful, smiling, and ready to help others. He had a solid reputation. Initially, I was unsure whether to staff him because he didn’t have relevant industry experience, but I decided to take my chances.

The first problem-solving session was a disaster! When it came to Nick’s turn, he showed some random numbers. He was mixing units and terms, mumbling random facts. I couldn’t understand anything.

I know it was just the first problem-solving session, but that’s not how to approach problem-solving with your manager. Clearly, he wasn’t trained well. I was worried maybe I made a mistake staffing him.

I asked him to get his thoughts together and get back to me in a few hours.

After some time, he approached me with just one slide drafted on a notepad. It was a well-structured slide with a clear insight - that insight I could take to clients and have an intelligent conversation.

I complimented him for his effort and encouraged him to continue working in the same manner.

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I jokingly told Nick that he had earned himself 6 hours of free time without me getting in his hair. But then he needs to bring me another insight to earn another 6 hours of freedom, and so on.

I would be the judge of whether an insight qualifies or not. It would qualify if we learned something new, relevant to our project, and helped move the needle.

Although it was a joke, Nick took it very seriously. He downloaded a timer app on his phone and started counting the time since the last insight.

Initially, he was bringing insights good enough to qualify and always was on time.

Basically, he gamified this approach. Like a kid playing a game, he was very excited about this approach. His motivation and confidence increased with each new insight that he brought.

After a few days, he found a game-changing insight. It was a severe financial problem that the client team wasn’t aware of. And it completely changed our position with the clients. They started respecting us. And everything became much easier.

I told him that he could stop using his timer. He can do whatever he wants as long as he continues delivering me high-quality insights. He earned my trust and his independence.

I also learned a profound insight for myself. Laser-sharp focus in the first days allows consultants to get quick wins. Quick wins create momentum and lift motivation. Then it becomes much easier to work.

When my teams are stuck, instead of applying more pressure, which usually makes everything worse, I tell them that we will play ‘a little game’ from now on.

Every consultant must ‘impress’ me with just one ‘fantastic’ insight per day. It may sound toxic, but I am trying to make it a fun game, not a hierarchical exercise. I promise.

This gives consultants permission to focus at times of information overload. And they actually feel relieved. They also feel a sense of accomplishment when they bring a first insight. And this helps them to lift their motivation and build momentum with their work.

Of course, they need to remember to front-load future analyses. Otherwise, they would be unable to create new insights tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.

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Even in the most challenging projects, consultants can bring one great insight per day.

For example, this year, I had a very intense 4-week project. These projects are tough; four weeks is too short of a time frame for clients. They cannot keep up and provide any meaningful data.

The team was also junior and had challenges getting their grove early on. Two weeks passed, and we couldn’t get any quality outputs to discuss with clients. I started being a bit nervous; the team needed an intervention.

So, it’s a pretty tough situation, by all means.

I pulled that ‘a little game’ trick with the team. I could see that within a few days, the team transformed. First, they got laser-focused on what they would show me at the end of the day. They also became very scrappy and creative in using whatever they had.

It became a good team ceremony for us. At the end of the day, I would come, and they would present their ‘one slide’ to me. It was a moment of truth for them and an exciting time for me.

From day one, they started to bring some good insights. Consequently, these insights led to new ideas and new insights. The wheel started moving.

On day three, one of the consultants came up with a game-changing insight. The one that exploded in terms of its shocking nature and magnitude for clients. It completely turned the table for us, and we built the whole project around that one insight.

The team won my little game big time and gained a lot of momentum.

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This trick works on both individual and team levels.

Now, imagine if you have a team of three consultants. Every day, they bring you three pages of good-quality content. After a week, you will get 10-15 pages. Now, as a manager, you can work with that and start crafting a compelling story.

Try it next time if you are stuck with your project. Focus on one unique insight you can do that day and bring it to your leadership. If you can sustain that pace for a few days, you will be a hero.

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Nick became a distinctive consultant after that project and never got a rating anything lower than that. One year later he went to his Harvard MBA. After two years he returned to the firm, worked with me on one project, and then left for a client, taking a Chief of Strategy role. Now, he is a very successful executive and delivers a fantastic impact For his company. He works on a much larger scale than one insight per day.

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P.S.

I feel your pain.

As a consultant, I struggled to perform and faced an impossible situation with extremely high expectations and minimal support.

My life turned into relentless stress, pain, and anxiety. But I always suspected that there should be a better way.

All that pain was not necessary with the right support.

Nine years later, I designed the coaching program I desperately needed back then. Its sole focus is helping you excel and achieve high performance.

Only then can you build strong sponsorships, find great projects, and become confident.

If you are an MBB consultant and want to achieve high performance, please
Book a 1-1 Discovery Session.

Learn more about the Hero Journey coaching program.

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