The world economy at large is in the midst of difficult times. The recession is deep and widespread and seems like that it is not about to relent anytime soon. While India isn’t as badly hit as USA and some western countries, it is gloomy out here as well.
Times like these can turn out to be a great boon if used to our advantage. It is in times like these that companies put greater controls in place, great talent is readily available and selectively hired, cost rationalization is undertaken, bench-time is used for creation of IP and products, competitors go out of business and operations are streamlined. We are trying too.
It’s a time when we embrace the ambiguity and the opportunity rapidly, and re-purpose and reorient ourselves, and be more sensitive to the context than ever before. In summary, as individuals and as an organization we must be responsive to change.
Here are the top THREE imperatives:
Change I: From being Brand Led to being Sales Driven:
QAI has been a brand led organization. Each one of us contributed in no small measure to the creation of highly respected brand in our space. The brand has had the power to pull customers in. It has enabled us to charge a premium. We have been called to the “party” most of the times. We have lost a few and won many. Thanks to our sales team we have fought many a battle, many hard ones and many not so hard.
NOW we need to transform into being a “sales” driven organization. In such organizations sales people are hunters, sales targets are tracked monthly, incentives are in place, people have a sense of urgency in meeting the numbers, low performers are coached and eventually if necessary urged to find a more rewarding place. Markets are analyzed and systematically penetrated. With goals, dates and targets…
As QAI we may be the tiger in the marketplace…but lets remember…In the forest the deer wakes up and worries that if it doesn’t run fast enough it will get eaten by the tiger. The Tiger wakes up and also worries that if it doesn’t run fast enough it will go hungry.
Change II: From being Strategy Stalwarts to being Finance Focused:
Strategy has been QAI's forte. Strategy is all about where we compete (areas and lines of business) and how we compete (value capture mechanisms, value delivery etc) We have a great business model, great portfolio, great brand, great team, great partnerships, great timing, great talent acquisition, great history and a great purpose for existence.
We must now change to build in the controls, collect the money, disallow client cancellations, not tolerate individual demands, negotiate right, discount only that much, and know the numbers.
It is said that the Top-line is vanity, Profits is sanity but it's the Cash that’s reality and King. The cash in the bank, keeps the organizations going, and is critical in such times. Financial metrics become key for managing survival and growth.
Selling a deal and celebrating is one part. Collecting the cash is when the deal is actually worth anything.
We are taking many steps in addressing the financial controls, augmenting the bandwidth, moving towards sanity and reality. Policies are being drafted.
Your contribution and participation is seeked.
Change III: From being Individual Thought Leaders to also being Organizational and Business Leaders:
Most in QAI are thought leaders, effective consultants and trainers. It is who we are. Some at QAI are far more than this.
Here’s a thought for those who aren’t.
The organizations...QAI and Client would increasingly require a greater participation and empathy in its business mission, an understanding of the bigger picture …a greater engagement. Especially in times like these, it may no longer be adequate to deliver great consulting for the attainment of a specific goal…although that’s what the contract requires. Organizations and CEOs want business improvements, they need hard advice on all matters, and they need our programs to have lasting impact and our improvements to shore up the bottom lines. They want solutions even though they might be signing up for an offering.
Fortunately we have both the talent and the deliverables, the various practices and the IP. Every sign up can be a massive follow on opportunity, much greater than the sign up amount.
Similarly the internal organization wants us be and do more than show up for consulting days and do a terrific billable day. It needs your time and attention for creating IP, it needs your assistance for organization building, it needs every non billable day not to go waste, it needs presence in the office and participation, your leadership coaching to new joinees. It needs you to “sell” yourselves to various Practice groups and make your contribution valuable. To acquire customers.
I will repeat once again what we have heard so often….when the going gets tough, the tough get going. I seek your participation and enrollment for this one year to reinvent ourselves, create a stronger, and better QAI. It cannot be done by a few. It can be done if we all participate. This is a call to action.
Let’s do it.
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