Says Frank Slootman in his book Amp it Up. Of course, we do the opposite. Someone on this board said SNOW has George Patton, and we have Beaver Cleaver. Read the FS excerpts below, and you will decide if that is true.
Amp it Up
You Don't Need to Hire Consultants or Strategists.
Many executives, especially at big companies, feel insecure about strategy and want to bring in consultants to inform and drive that aspect of the business. That's how firms such as McKinsey and Bain make a fortune. You can hire them to organize your data, generate pretty visualizations, write up a detailed analysis. Plus, it might enhance your executive authority in board meetings if you present a strategy developed by a major consulting firm.
Consultants are people who borrow your watch, tell you what time it is, and then keep the watch. In the long run, you are better off working on your strategy without the fancy language and pretty slide deck. Develop confidence in your authority, not somebody else's.
Likewise, in many large companies, it's common to see dedicated strategy roles. These people are basically in-house consultants because they have no operational responsibility. The operators won't like simply being told what the strategy is. The Chief executive officer must also act as the chief strategy officer. Pure strategists (either outsourced or internal) will be quick to blame the execution because it is undoubtedly not their strategy that is lacking.
Chappers, surely not; you would never do that, would you?