Lucid Thought 87

Consulting work that adds value to clients and the wider community

Much of our consulting work helps clients with problems at the edge of established knowledge. Mainstream ‘best practices’ offer limited guidance on how to address challenges and concerns arising from unique client situations. Solutions to important client issues are rarely ‘off-the peg’. One solution cannot be used for all just by changing the colour or flavour. Like other consultants, we are hired to apply our generalised knowledge to address specific questions or problems. In many instances, conventional approaches, techniques and methods need to be adapted or flexed. Our observation is that going from the general to the specific is deceptively difficult. Poor, sometimes ill-conceived, advice abounds and expedient remedies are frequently presented as enduring solutions. In this Lucid Thought, we discuss the opportunity and the merits of seeking to draw more widely applicable lessons from individual consulting engagements.