I went to a networking event recently which was promoting the idea that there’s safety in numbers; that in response to public spending cuts the thing to do is hunker down, share insider knowledge and find new ways of working in partnership. I was interested to hear more from Kieron White, the Founder and Managing Director of WCL, the management consultancy that has managed some seriously high profile public sector contracts. He has also set up the Association of Public Sector Advisors (APSA), which hosted the event, and was reported in the Guardian as the new association set up to create a support network for advisors in the public sector. WCL has a strong focus on making a difference in the public sector. Before establishing WCL, Kieron was a senior member of the programme management team at Ernst and Young. He has been instrumental in developing innovative delivery models that have been at the heart of many of Education’s most high profile programmes including the introduction of School Improvement Partners, the successful London Challenge programme, the Behaviour Improvement Programmes, and improvements in the quality of School Food. Here’s what he had to say about portfolio careers, the public sector and the Big Society…
At any points in your life could you be described as a portfolio careerist?
Not exactly, although it sounds like an interesting a career for when I grow up! Having said that, being a management a consultant has lots of similarities, with the added benefits of being an employee. Consulting can be portfolio-like, working with a broad range of clients, so many of the necessary skills are similar.
What are the most exciting change programmes you’ve worked on and how has WCL made a difference in the public sector?
The most well-known was Every Child Matters in 2003. We’ve also done some exciting work in education around truancy, behaviour and Jamie Oliver’s school dinners programme. Our role has been the programme management, specialising in helping design exciting, innovative national change programmes. I love the challenge of doing it better than how it’s been done before and inspiring people to get genuinely excited about change. I’m proud that our work has improved education and saved lives.
What do you make of the Big Society?
I’m particularly interested in work with further education colleges and the Big Society at the moment. I think there are going to have to be new and innovative ways of delivering public services; creating efficiencies without compromising quality. It’s not for me to judge the Big Society as a policy but I’m committed to helping find ways to help achieve it and I think there will be opportunities for portfolio careerists as things unfold.
What do you see as the opportunities for public sector advisors given the spending cuts? How can they be successful?
I think there’s a better chance for portfolio careerists because the government and public sector can’t hire anyone but at some point they will need skills, talent and expertise and if they can pay for it by the day that opportunity will be there. This year won’t be easy; I hear lots of people speculating about dates by when it will be better but the big Conservative strategy was two years of hell until the Olympics, then a summer of love, big spending followed by elections. That was before the coalition but I’m forming WCL’s strategy on that basis. Work is out there, it’s harder won and contracts are shorter but it is there. WCL is very busy and we are looking for people interested in working on projects we are working on.
At the networking event you mentioned that APSA was set up in response to the need to change your business model by turning employees into associates. That must have been a difficult time?
The worst thing about running a consultancy is that when things are financially difficult you have to lose people because they are your main costs. We did a first redundancy round last summer following a 70% drop in revenues and a complete ban on consultants in Whitehall. It was emotionally galling for me; a really awful period of my life which showed me how emotionally involved I am in my business. I had to change the model from employees to associates and I’m pleased that most accepted this invitation. APSA is there to support them and others like them. The challenge of the current market is winning new business with new clients and new rates. The move to the associate model means flexibility in price. Many of our associates are starting to diversify so they are becoming portfolio careerists and are earning more money than they did as employees, which is fair as they don’t have the benefits of being employees any more.
What is your vision for APSA in future?
When we first conceived APSA as safety in numbers and market intelligence we felt there was a value in getting people together on a big enough scale to benefit from the ‘wisdom of the crowd’; with enough snippets of shared information, insights, anecdotes and new partnerships, there will be greater chances of success up against the likes of KMPG who are able to spend money on market research and win contracts for £1. My vision is for it to become like a badge of honour with government tenders favouring APSA membership. I want to see us doing learning events, more networking events, sharing intellectual property and benefits such as bulk buying for things like professional indemnity insurance.
You have talked about sharing and safety in numbers – so what evidence have you seen of people signing up to this ethos?
I think there can be reticence about sharing information as people may be concerned they are giving away tips to their competitors but I think even sharing information about work they’ve already won will be helpful just so other members can get a feel for what the new world is buying. Membership is about to open at £50 a year so we will see if people put their money where their mouth is. Networking is central to ASPA and the events so far have been popular for this reason.
As a nation, do you think we’re good at networking?
I think we Brits can be quite bad at it compared to Americans and Southern Europeans perhaps. Therefore at APSA events we try to facilitate networking with things like speed dating style techniques to remove the daunting prospect of walking into a room full of strangers to ‘network’. We’ll provide a bit of structure and make it comfortable. I think it’s difficult for everybody, I don’t find it that easy myself so I’m always keen to find ways to make it easier. Some people are brilliant at it; they move on when they’re ready without it feeling awkward. It’s definitely a skill and one portfolio careerists depend upon.
What other qualities do you think successful portfolio careerists incorporating public sector consultancy into their portfolios need?
Great consultants who work for firms or independent portfolio careerists all really need to know where the market is and seek out the people winning and awarding work and make themselves known to them. Be very enthusiastic; sharing excitement is a valuable social skill. Literally telling people things are fascinating and asking lots of questions is all it comes down to. Read around your sector; make a name blogging like you’re doing, stay ahead of the game and have an opinion.
For more information about APSA visit www.apsauk.com
Kieron invites interested readers of the Portfolio Careerist to the next networking event.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comment.