Consulting
Ideas ✖️ Pragmatism ✖️ Methodology ✖️ Actionability
Getting stuff done.
Having spent more than a decade in client-side leadership roles, I saw my fair share of consultancy, interim and agency assignments that didn't quite have the impact that was hoped for – or that had been promised. So, in my plural existence, I try to be the sort of consultant or advisor that I would have liked to have hired, and found easy to work with. Fresh eyes and ears. Tells it how it is. Marries ideas and ambition with practicality and making impact. Understands politics and bureaucracy. And someone who coaches while they're an extended member of your team... leaving a legacy, not just an invoice.
Oh, and I know what I'm good at. And I try to help share that through consulting and advisory assignments. But I also know my limitations, and will tell you up front what's out of my area of expertise. I prefer to be honest – while I love stretching myself and relish challenges, if I'm not the right person for the brief, I'd rather stick to what I do best. If I can, I'll recommend an associate (I've got a half-decent black-book) that I know and trust, who can add value where I can't. Otherwise, I'll help you to figure out how to plug the gap.
TL;DR (the short version)
I've got a particular skillset and won't pretend to be something I'm not. I'm available for hire on an ad hoc, short- or medium-term basis – either to help with capability, or capacity, or both #freelance #interim #advisor.
Some of the organisations I've worked with
"An expert on everything digital transformation... but also a brilliant journalist, brand consultant, and strategic thinker."
Richard Hadler, Managing Director, alan. Agency // Full-service B2B agency of Raconteur Media, the exclusive publishers of special reports in The Times and The Sunday Times (News UK)
What I do
'Consultancy' covers all manner of sins – this is what I do in practice
Strategy development and counsel
- 35,000ft perspective
- Ideas and clarity on direction
- Translating strategy into plans that teams can implement
Hands-on implementation support
- Extended member of the team
- Help execute at pace
- Coach team members along the way
Independent eyes and ears
- Bring fresh and out-of-sector perspectives
- Help pull team members up from the weeds
- Candid assessments, 'kill or cure' reviews
Interim or flexible projects
- Ad hoc, interim or retainer positions
- Flexible assignments that take shape as projects evolve
Facilitator
- Act as an objective, independent arbiter
- Apply process and methodologies to help guide teams to conclusions that they own
- Help find creative ways to break through blockages and logjams
Thought-provoker
- Act as the catalyst for new ideas and approaches
- Bring external stimulus and input from out of company and sector
- Spark new thinking that yields practical takeaways
Trainer
- Deliver bespoke workshops to build knowledge and understanding
- Showcase best practice from out of sector
- Build enthusiasm and confidence in new ways of working
- Co-create actionable processes and ways of working
Issues I can help with
Key areas of expertise, developed in the real world
Digital transformation and culture
The narrative to change and transformation
Content strategy and roadmapping
Editorial strategy and planning
Building leadership alignment
Marketing and digital capability development
Research and thought leadership
© Thomas Brown 2024 | All rights reserved.