10 Principles for Overcoming Post Consultant Stress Syndrome (PCSS)

1. We meet you where you are: Can you imagine if you went to the doctor, and they said you needed to lose thirty pounds in one month? You would want to give up before you get started. It is essential to set goals and targets that are realistic, not ridiculous. At Impact Advisors, we generally do a 3-5-year review of each department’s performance and try to find a “best practice.” It enables us to set a performance threshold the team has previously achieved and could conceivably achieve again. In other words, each department is benchmarked against itself.

2.We cultivate clear communication: We don’t just tell our clients where they need to be; we show them the way. We ensure you have intuitive, easy-to-use reports and tools to achieve your targets. A true sign of success is when one fiscal year ends and another begins, and our clients ask, “Where are the new tools?” before we even have a chance to publish them.

3. We celebrate small and large successes early and often: When the needle starts moving in the right direction, we celebrate successes and share them up the ladder. Beyond margin improvement, our ultimate measure of success is for every client to become empowered to do the work independently and no longer rely on us.

4. We understand you have a full-time job outside our consulting engagement. We are respectful of your time. It’s important to us to respond quickly to your emails, phone calls, and meeting requests. We strive to be efficient, whether delivering clear and concise information in person or in writing or scheduling meetings well in advance to give you time to plan.

5. We are humans first, consultants second. We want to understand what makes you tick, including what we can do to help you excel and how you prefer to learn. We also like to get to know our clients and understand their lives outside of work.

6. We ask for candid feedback and act on it: At Impact Advisors, we have a “Happyologist” team who checks in with our clients’ senior leadership teams. They gather the good, the bad, and the ugly and share feedback with the project team. We also employ an internal Quality Assurance program to ensure we deliver what was promised to you on time and within budget.

7. We realize and acknowledge that our clients are the experts in their respective areas: We tap into and harness our clients’ expertise. At Impact Advisors, we aim to create a fleet of “small business owners” adept at running their own businesses within their own departments.

8. We recognize people have different levels of financial literacy and business acumen: One approach will not suit all. We adapt to each individual we work with and mirror and match them – slowing down or speeding up – according to where they are.

9. We expect, allow, and plan for the Five Stages of Grief: The stages include Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Gambling (Kübler-Ross model). It’s rare for a client to not go through these stages during an engagement. We recognize you are bringing in a new approach to labor, which represents change and loss. It’s hard to let go of previous ways of looking at and doing things. Project plans and timelines for expected deliverables must be built around this natural cycle.

10. We value you as a partner. The best work comes from working together to achieve a goal. It leads to better results and better engagement.