Consultants are becoming just as cliched as lawyers nowadays. If you’ve seen the series House of Lies, it paints a very bleak picture of what a consultant is: deceitful, uncaring, a con artist, a sociopath.  In essence, spin any tall tale to get a client to think they need you, so they can pay you inordinate amounts of money for you to look impressive, but not actually achieve any meaningful result. But why this picture? We know that consultancy was not fabricated for the sole purpose of conning organisations out of their money.

Given that most businesses fail within their first year, being in business isn't easy.  And a lot of the time, they need help – from consultants! Rather than being manipulative, consultants may be coming from a place of genuinely thinking they can help and wanting to.

Our cultures have stigmas about asking for help, don't they?  And a very strong desire to seem like we have it all together.  But help is clearly needed, and clearly needs to be asked for.

Where does the problem come in, then?  In the context of businesses wanting to experience that "good to great" secret sauce, where's the gap?  Usually, it’s because most of the consulting houses use Internationally successful templates and try to apply those to local contexts. It simply cannot work, and the price-tag attached to those international templates is astronomical! Our local challenges are pretty unique and requires a lot of thought and visualisation before application of ideas can even begin. 

In more conventional businesses like the financial sector, there are steps and factors that might be universal, but when it comes to specific industries, in specific contexts, in specific markets, a more refined approach is needed, led by industry experts who have hands-on expertise in sectors that run the economy. Because of the macro effects of these businesses, it’s a massive responsibility, not just to the business concerned, but to the country.

It would take a top-notch consultancy firm to achieve specific results like that.  And by top-notch, I don't mean the most expensive or the best at their marketing.  I mean, the ability to deliver real-world results that matter in these specialised environments.

Dilley Naidoo, Chief Vision Officer of Madala & Associates, coined the term: ResultantsTM  in 2003, when a client came to him for help, after an International Consultancy firm that had charged them millions of rands did not deliver on their promise. Resulting is based on measurable outcomes and tangible business benefits, incorporating operational optimisation and gradual improvement with milestones – not a “quick fix”.

A ResultantTM is someone who is able to look at a business, and take into account a) the industry, environment and economy that it's in, b) the current status of the business, and c) the deficiencies and opportunities of that business. ResultantsTM understand the business of doing business because they have been there, they have industry experience and already know the sector’s unique challenges. Their approach is operational and business outcomes based, with measurable quarterly milestones. They work within a joint partnership model and deliver results on time and within budget. They deliver RESULTS that add genuine value to the top and bottom line of the business. Clean, uncomplicated contracts with no political alignment or bureaucracy, just results.

Changes would be implemented with a Proof of Value Pilot Project before a company-wide roll-out project begins. 

Wouldn't consultants say similar things? Well, some might, but they'd be rare, and the proof is in the pudding. One size does not fit all. It takes something to be able to see the context of a business, as well as the context that the business interacts with.  And to see it well enough to affect a meaningful, tangible result. 

Dilley not only has decades worth of global experience in the industries he consults for, he also sees the context of each business and the environments they are in, to achieve the results he does.

When you're consulting with Dilley Naidoo and Madala & Associates, you're achieving your result.  

Rifle-Shot Performance Holdings