The High Flyers Podcast with Vidit Agarwal
00:53:35 · Robert Nason
[00:53:35] S2: do you want to describe what we do as training, Vidot? We've been there. Neil and I have been partners. We've been leaders of consulting. We know the game. We know the numbers, the number you get, the pressure every year to start again from zero and deliver a result as a consulting partner. We feel we're collaborating by sharing what we've seen and what we know and discussing that with partner groups, reflecting on what has changed and what needs to in their daily time allocation and there is a lot of flexibility at the partner MD level as to where you spend your time. Are you allocating that time in the optimum fashion to build your pipeline, to develop your relationships, to give you a continuity and an expanding volume of work in the areas that you're most interested in. It's both a stress release if you like. It's getting you in more in control of your professional life, doing the work you want to do and having the success that you aim to achieve. And just some facts these days. We believe every company is facing an AI transformation. Every organization in the globe is going to need to do one in the next five years probably. Some of them are going to do complete organization wide transformations and the firms that undertake that work will shut out all the others. Clients will get turned off. We noticed for example in a recent client that did a joint venture with a professional service firm to do AI transformation, 11 other consulting firms were exited that were doing AI work with that contract being led. That's going to be the future. How do you if you don't go for the bigger deals, you've got a strong risk of missing out. If you're playing down in middle management doing small projects, you're going to be disintermediated. So you need to target the bigger projects and have a point of view and work the team. The CIO is no longer the technology decision maker. Those decisions have moved into the total C suite. So if you're a technology vendor you've got to learn how to persuade an entire executive team because they're talking about a transformation of the company with technology as a driver, a completely different selling concept and how do we get our heads around that and how do we deliver to that.
00:56:26 · Robert Nason, Vidit Agarwal, Neil Plumridge
So they're the sort of issues we try and use the real data of the firms we work with and provide a mechanism for the senior partners, MDs within the firm to share their stories along as well as the stories of Neil and I. It's a tool for getting the learning exchange going that some firms have dropped off over the last few years because they've been so busy. [00:56:56] S0: Yeah, there's some really interesting points there and we could talk for another half an hour and unpack each of those but like Neil said that might be part two of when you come back on the podcast. I'm conscious of time so I'm going to move to rapid fire sprint. Before I do, is there anything that either of you want to touch on that I haven't asked? No. [00:57:15] S2: No, you've covered it well, Finnev. [00:57:18] S0: Okay, thank you for the live feedback Robert. Is there one non work investment that's had an outsize impact on your life, Neil? A non work investment. So when I say non work investment, an investment of time, energy? Is there a hobby or a course or a holiday that you've really appreciated? [00:57:40] S1: Neil: Yes. I was burnt out a couple of years ago, self inflicted, working too hard. My wife and I went to a five day vegan only retreat in New Zealand. It was outstanding. No mobile phones, Michelin star quality food, came back refreshed, fit and to tackle the next twelve months. [00:58:04] S0: That sounds incredible. You'd have to give me the name of this retreat. Yeah.
00:58:04 · Vidit Agarwal, Neil Plumridge, Robert Nason
[00:58:04] S0: That sounds incredible. You'd have to give me the name of this retreat. Yeah. [00:58:08] S1: And I will do it offline but it was amazing. Only 16 people there. It was a reset and I would do it again if I was in that situation. [00:58:17] S2: Great. Robert? Yes. I'd have to say I tried yoga when I've, in one of my many episodes of retiring. I did it for about two years and I found it really helpful as a means of tuning out, of getting a complete sort of break refresh of your mind. And I often hear my yoga instructor telling me to breathe because I I get tense and hold my breath when you... And particularly when you're under strain doing those exercises. But learning how just to breathe through things caused me to reflect that I need to recharge, find ways to recharge the batteries and that's added a dimension to my life I think. [00:59:07] S0: Yeah. It sounds funny but breath work actually is something most of us are really bad at. I only would discover this concept probably a year ago and similar to you, I'm not someone who's very good at slowing down but I have learnt like just focusing on my breath and sometimes when I've had a really stressful day, I'll just sit on the couch or lie down in bed for ten minutes, play some meditative music and just focus on my breathing. It changes the rest of my day. It is incredible. [00:59:32] S2: Yeah, great for jet lag too. You wake up at 3AM and you need to go back to sleep. You just have to breathe and you fall asleep.
00:59:32 · Robert Nason, Vidit Agarwal, Neil Plumridge
[00:59:32] S2: Yeah, great for jet lag too. You wake up at 3AM and you need to go back to sleep. You just have to breathe and you fall asleep. [00:59:40] S0: Yeah. Yeah. It's a lot better to do that than go on emails or LinkedIn or Yes. Exactly. [00:59:46] S2: Turn you the buy song. [00:59:48] S0: Yeah. Is there one thing you'd wanna learn in the next six months? This could be in a work context or outside work. Neil? [00:59:56] S1: Yes, I do. I want to learn how I can restart a physical exercise routine. I've dropped that away in the last twelve, eighteen months. I used to run. I used to keep fit. This book and program or business has taken my life away. I'm going to learn at my age what is right. And it might be yoga, but I think there's got to be some cardio there. I think there's got to be some other things. That's what I've got to learn how to do. [01:00:27] S0: Well, you've put that on the record now, you better do it. Yeah.
01:00:27 · Vidit Agarwal, Robert Nason
[01:00:27] S0: Well, you've put that on the record now, you better do it. Yeah. [01:00:33] S2: Robert? Yeah. I've sort of got two. I think Neil and I are in a privileged position here because we're getting into doors that others don't get into to have discussions that others don't have. So we're at the forefront of what's changing in the AI world and how people are organizations are dealing with it. We're getting information thrown at us. We're working with an AI developer ourselves for our own content. So we've got an obligation to share that, I think, because we've established that position. We're looking at ways and means of of doing that. So that's one where I think we've opened Pandora's box, but we're here now and we should make the most of sharing perspectives and helping the world transition to this new place. And secondly, something Neil's raised all along is you know, we're getting on in our careers. It's time to have some fun. And while we're doing this and exploring different parts of the world and visiting different countries and meeting different people, we should have some fun while we're doing it and making sure we're reserving that time while we're also running our business to enjoy what we're doing.
01:01:57 · Vidit Agarwal, Robert Nason, Neil Plumridge
[01:01:57] S0: Please teach me how to do that Robert. I was just having this chat with my wife the other day. I travel for work like you do and I do not do any like touristy things. I'm just either in the or hotel in meeting rooms or on the airport. And she said to me the other day, she's like, you're going to all these cool cities, why don't you like take out a couple hours and go to the museum or go to a nice restaurant? And I'm like, no. I'm just running from one meeting to the next. [01:02:20] S2: No. But Neil's very good for me on that. Like, it's where you... Like, I've learned, you know, you don't have to stay at the hotel the client suggests, which is around the corner from their office in the boring part of town. You can actually go and stay in the cool district where all the restaurants and bars are and have some fun at night. Neil's teaching me all of these things that I haven't adopted in my career. [01:02:45] S0: I like it. [01:02:46] S1: It's called Gemini. Google Gemini, Robert. [01:02:52] S0: Very good. Last two, is there one consulting practice you'd happily see disappear? Robert?