The rise of AI in consulting is akin to the demise of the buggy whip industry in the early 20th century. Just as the automobile rendered buggy whips obsolete, AI and large language models threaten to automate many tasks traditionally performed by consultants. Here are 7 things you need to know about adapting to survive this disruption.

We Discuss:

• What is the threat AI poses to consulting?
• How do consultants USE AI instead of being replaced by it?
• How can consultants keep an authentic voice in the face of LLMs?
• What is the consultant's value proposition in an AI future?
• What types of consulting careers are most likely to be impacted?

Key Highlights:

• The consulting industry may be facing a "buggy whip moment" due to the rise of AI and large language models (LLMs) that can automate tasks traditionally done by consultants. (00:02:53)
• Consultants who don't adopt AI tools risk being replaced by those who do, similar to how those who didn't adopt typewriters were replaced by those who did. (00:06:45)
• AI tools can augment consultants' capabilities, allowing them to do more work at a better quality level. (00:27:36)
• The consulting industry may shift from providing free advisory content to protect their IP from being used to train AI models. (00:10:47)
• Consultants should be vigilant, view AI as an opportunity, skill up, focus on human elements, niche down, and get closer to clients to navigate the changes brought by AI. (00:33:56)
• Consulting work that requires human-level decision-making and capability will likely remain relevant in the short to medium term. (00:40:17)
• Consultants should protect their IP going forward to maintain their value and competitive edge. (00:44:01)
• Soft skills, emotional intelligence, and creativity will remain important for consultants as AI focuses on past data rather than innovative thinking. (00:30:32)
• Consultants who enjoy building machines (processes and new things) will have an advantage over those who prefer running machines (turning the crank). (00:41:10)

7 Takeaways:

1. The consulting industry is facing a potential disruption due to the rise of AI and large language models that can automate tasks traditionally performed by consultants.
2. Consultants who fail to adopt AI tools risk being replaced by those who do, highlighting the importance of staying current with technological advancements.
3. AI tools can augment consultants' capabilities, enabling them to deliver higher quality work more efficiently.
4. The consulting industry may shift away from providing free advisory content to protect their intellectual property from being used to train AI models.
5. To navigate the changes brought by AI, consultants should be vigilant, view AI as an opportunity, develop new skills, focus on human elements, specialize in niche areas, and build stronger relationships with clients.
6. In the short to medium term, consulting work that requires human-level decision-making and capability will likely remain relevant.
7. Soft skills, emotional intelligence, and creativity will continue to be valuable assets for consultants, as AI focuses on analyzing past data rather than generating innovative ideas.

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For ambitious consultants aiming to establish themselves as thought leaders and advance to senior decision-making roles, deliberate career planning is important. Here are 5 tips for actively managing your consulting career. We're joined by Patrick Milholland who in his career has served in every major C-Suite position but found his groove with a non-profit career, specifically his utlimate goal of a CIO career. We Discuss:

• Why would someone plan their career this way?
• How does education impact the career plan?
• What are some of the pros and cons to taking this approach?
• What were some of Patrick's hard choices in his journey?
• What are some of his insights gleaned from following this process during his career?

Key Highlights:

• Patrick deliberately pursued 3 degrees with the goal of becoming a CIO (3:00-6:24). There was a clear career plan in place and calculated choices were made to achieve the goal.
• Working as a consultant provided great experience and exposure that enabled attaining a CIO role (12:11-14:18). The consulting skills translated directly.
• The consulting role was left for a CIO position at a nonprofit where purpose and satisfaction was found, beyond just financial motivators (14:18-15:45).
• Over time, impressive credentials and titles were accumulated that opened up additional career opportunities (32:13-34:12). The background stood out.
• Be deliberate about aligning career choices with defined goals and to consider personal tradeoffs like family time (40:24-41:28). Having a plan matters.
• Location has an impact – being in Silicon Valley expanded options vs. being in Ohio (34:05-34:24).

5 Takeaways:

1. Education has an impact on getting noticed and gaining positions and needs to be aligned with the career strategy, sometimes by sacrificing things
2. Working as a consultant can provide experience and exposure that enables a longer term career plan.
3. Purpose and satisfaction beyond just financial motivators is more important than most people think when they're starting out.
4. The accumulation of impressive credentials and titles can open up more and better career opportunities.
5. Knowing your values, and being deliberate about aligning your career choices with those values will better enable you to reach your goals. When you have a minute, go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see all the free content. While you're there, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE. Check out https://patreon.com/ConsultantsSayingThings and subscribe for special access to EVEN MORE content from the team.

We spend our lives gaining knowledge of the world around us. Unlearning things, making room for new knowledge or corrected or updated knowledge, is a skill we aren’t usually taught and don’t often practice. Here are 8 important things to know about Unlearning.

We're joined for this discussion by Pete Cafarchio who is an executive coach that helps transform leaders, teams, and cultures. Pete is the CEO of Oculus Consulting and helps practitioners perform at their best.

We Discuss:

• What is unlearning and why is it so important?
• What are the implications of unlearning for us as consultants?
• What are the implications for our clients?
• How do we effectively challenge a client’s stuck mindset?
• What's preventing us from applying this strategy?

Key Highlights:

• Unlearning is challenging deeply held beliefs and assumptions to make room for new perspectives (6:36).
• It takes courage since consultants are paid for what they know (6:15).
• We tend to defend our thinking, but feeling defensive can indicate we're not fully convinced about something (24:25).
• Self-awareness of our emotional reactions can reveal opportunities for unlearning (25:05).
• Groupthink and technology like social media algorithms can reinforce entrenched thinking, making unlearning more difficult (17:58, 30:04).
• Practical tips for unlearning include exposing ourselves to contrary views (35:02) and asking questions that imagine project failure scenarios (36:32) or competitor advantages (37:13) to surface overlooked issues.
• Facilitating unlearning conversations creates value for clients by getting them to reconsider assumptions (44:23).
• Information is now ubiquitous; consultants add value through context, application and strategy (43:36).

8 Takeaways:

1. Unlearning involves challenging ingrained beliefs to make room for new perspectives, which takes courage since consultants are paid for their knowledge. (6:36)
2. Feeling defensive about an idea can signal that we are not fully convinced about it and presents an opportunity for unlearning. (24:25)
3. Technology like social media algorithms tends to reinforce tribal thinking, making unlearning more difficult. (30:04)
4. Intentionally exposing ourselves to contrary opinions helps to challenge our assumptions and unlearn. (35:02)
5. Asking “what if we fail” questions imagine failure scenarios to uncover overlooked issues. (36:32)
6. Posing “what would competitors do” questions surfaces organizational vulnerabilities. (37:13)
7. Facilitating unlearning conversations creates value for clients by getting them to challenge assumptions. (44:23)
8. With ubiquitous information, consultants now add value through context, application and strategy rather than just providing information. (43:36)

When you have a minute, go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠⁠⁠ to see all the free content. While you're there, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE. Check out https://patreon.com/ConsultantsSayingThings and subscribe for special access to EVEN MORE content from the team.