Value-add consulting

Published company reports don’t usually include a separate line item for spend on external consultancy fees, but it would be in shareholder’s interests if they did. This prompts a question: do businesses hire such consulting firms because they are looking for knowledge that they themselves lack; or to have independent confirmation of facts they are already (or should be) aware of? If the latter is true, it can be argued this is a waste of shareholder’s $. If the former, it makes sense that buying-in knowledge or expert support for a specific purpose is a prudent move. In either case, measuring the absolute value of adopted recommendations is difficult, because the execution risk sits with the company’s staff, not with the consultants.

The traditional management consultant’s approach is often along the lines of: arm oneself with a clearly defined scope; offer a convincing operational model (that previous clients have paid for); snazzy resumes of those to be deployed; then get into action. Typical first objectives, though well-intentioned, tend to overly consume and irritate the client’s staff as the perceived more intelligent consultants begin their journey in condensing the experience and knowledge of incumbents, that has taken decades to build, into a simple high-level summary. There can then ensue a tense few weeks between the temporary intruders and the committed company staff. After what feels like endless data requests, interviews and unreasonable time demands, a draft report is developed and presented to the Executive team. Following review (edits), a final glossy report with pre-agreed recommendations is published and circulated to often surprised and confused staff.

This is where StoneFort Marine Consultancy is very (very) different. Underpinned by respect and integrity, we don’t need to waste anyone’s time educating ourselves with the language and nuances of shipping. We have been in the business all of our lives, understand that the industry is high risk and complex. Our CVs are built on the back of hands-on experience and shipping industry strategic planning. We are also academic equals with most from the traditional behemoths of consultancy. We appreciate why no two shipping businesses will be the same, and that no single set of recommendations will likely apply to all. We are not deluded; we never think we are the smartest people in the room (you know your business better than we do). We appreciate why we each have two ears and one mouth (to listen at least twice as much as we speak). The results? Recommendations that make sense, that everyone in the organisation can understand. Our proposed solutions aim to balance risk and reward, and will be steeped in our own experiences. We thrive on results delivery and leaving companies with better plans than they had when we arrived. What is more, we offer continued collaboration post the ‘consulting’ period to support execution of adopted recommendations – so measuring the true benefits of our efforts and absolute value to our clients, is much easier.