Bet you don’t hear that every day.

However, generalized thinking, perhaps better known as synthesis, is a critical skill that can demonstrate authority as a consultant and build client trust.

I’ll give an example:

In 2008, I was an associate consultant at BCG.

As you might remember, the economy was starting to struggle at that time, and demand for consulting support around large-scale reorgs (and layoffs) had begun to grow.

BCG had already carried out several of these, and with more engagements on the horizon, it made sense to synthesize 1) our POV on what was going on and 2) our unique approach to carrying out this type of sensitive work.

So, a few of us were assigned internally to interview the case teams that worked on those previous engagements, consolidate project artifacts for reuse, and ultimately create a case team playbook that could be leveraged for any future engagement of this sort.

Naturally, part of that process was removing any client-specific information, but even more importantly, it involved painting the overarching arc of large-scale reorgs and providing a practical blueprint for the most critical activities that could be applied to any client's context.

As a result, the firm could go out and confidently initiate client conversations about this type of project with a well-defined POV and solution.

And internally, we were better prepared to deliver on it.

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Note how the critical activity of this exercise was removing the detail.

Zooming out before zooming in.

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Don’t get me wrong - there’s certainly a place for detailed insights and case studies.

But first, your clients want to be confident that you know their problem inside and out and have a reliable approach to solving it.

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As you think about creating IP and frameworks to demonstrate your unique POV, think about how you’d summarize your thinking without any project examples.

• “Most companies in [xx] sector are experiencing [problem]…”
• “I see this as a result of [xx]…”
• “The key to turning this around is [xx]…”
• “This takes about [time frame]…”
• “And typically looks like [3-5 key steps]…”

Paradoxically, this might seem more vague, but it actually communicates your deep experience, insights, and authority.

And let’s not forget…it begins to provide relief.

💡

-Wes

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