Consultants Saying Things

Business architecture stands at a critical crossroads as AI-driven disruption and accelerating change challenge traditional practices. In this live recording from the Twin Cities Business Architecture Forum, four industry veterans debate whether the profession is properly equipped for the future, examining everything from framework fatigue to the irreplaceable human skills that no technology can automate. Watch for 5 things you must know about the future of business architecture...

We Discuss:

• Is business architecture too rigid and dogmatic to adapt to current challenges like AI disruption?
• Are we overthinking frameworks and tools instead of just doing the work
• Will AI replace business architects?
• How do we manage the expectation that AI can help us when models always have inherent latency?
• Should we train business relationship managers (BRMs) to do business architecture instead of maintaining separate architecture practices?

5 Takeaways:

1. Business architecture is at an inflection point where the profession must evolve beyond documenting current state to strategically designing organizations with intent across people, process, and technology in an era of unprecedented AI-driven disruption.
2. AI will transform the architect's role by automating artifact generation and model creation, allowing practitioners to spend more time on irreplaceable human activities like stakeholder engagement, asking the right questions, and strategic thinking.
3. The most critical non-negotiable skills for business architects are storytelling ability, epistemic humility, and the capacity to replace judgment with curiosity while maintaining principles of systemic thinking over siloed approaches.
4. Organizations risk failure when they eliminate dedicated architecture roles under the false assumption that "everyone should think like an architect," because without accountability and specialized focus, strategic architectural thinking simply won't happen.
5. The profession must urgently address talent pipeline challenges by increasing visibility through university programs, hackathons, and mentorship models, as most people are familiar with building architects but have never heard of business or enterprise architects.

Happy Christmas! The Consulting model is totally collapsing! Well, perhaps it is just the traditional consulting pyramid business model that is being disrupted. Check out this episode for 5 things you need to know about it...

We Discuss:

• Can AI do all the consulting work, making consultants obsolete?
• What happens to the consulting pyramid structure when AI eliminates junior analyst roles?
• How can consulting firms maintain revenue when they need fewer billable bodies?
• Where will future consultants get their experience if there are no entry-level positions?
• Is this disruption happening now or is it still years away?

5 Takeaways:

1. AI is fundamentally disrupting the traditional consulting pyramid model where one person can now output what previously required five people, forcing firms to reconsider their staffing structures and revenue models that have relied on billable bodies for over a century (00:02:03 - 00:08:15).
2. The consulting industry is shifting from task specialization to end-to-end problem-solving, where consultants must now handle everything from analytics to implementation and training, rather than just creating plans and recommendations then walking away (00:12:16 - 00:12:59).
3. Firms will need to pivot from time-and-materials billing to outcomes-based pricing models because clients won't accept invoices for AI agents processing data for hours, forcing a fundamental change in how consulting services are valued and sold (00:14:40 - 00:15:21).
4. The traditional entry-level analyst role is disappearing, creating a career pipeline problem where firms can't sustain the pyramid structure if they have no junior intake, potentially making industry experience the new entry point rather than coming straight from college (00:23:41 - 00:25:18).
5. AI may actually save consulting by eliminating the burnout-inducing grind work, allowing the industry to focus on what consultants should truly do—provide human judgment, industry expertise, and strategic thinking—while AI handles data processing and analytical tasks (00:25:18 - 00:29:27).

Article referenced in this episode: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/not-so-quiet-collapse-consulting-pyramid-dave-clark-icg5e

With AI, the consulting industry faces an existential crisis beyond technical roles. Traditional strategy and advisory work is now threatened. Check out this episode for 5 takeaways to help you navigate this change... We Discuss:

• What are consulting firms actually selling in the age of AI?
• Is "strategy through execution" enough going forward, or do consultants need to provide something more?
• Will consulting shift from human meetings to AI-integrated platforms?
• How can consultants avoid becoming commoditized like bank tellers or gas station attendants?
• What role does the human element play as AI capabilities expand?

5 Takeaways:

1. AI is creating a bifurcation in consulting where top performers must shift from selling frameworks and thinking to delivering concrete outcomes and accountability that clients can't get from AI tools alone.
2. The human element of consulting—building trust, providing emotional support through change, and making clients feel valued—remains critical because people remember how you made them feel more than what you told them.
3. Consultants who survive the AI disruption will be those who know which strategic questions to ask and where to apply their expertise, rather than those who can be replaced by increasingly sophisticated automation.
4. The consulting industry risks commoditization as AI handles lower-value work like slide creation and report generation, forcing professionals to move up the value chain to strategic advisory roles.
5. Future consulting may fundamentally shift from human-to-human meetings to AI-integrated collaborative platforms where advisory insights are embedded directly into the documents and tools clients use daily.

Stories mentioned in the discussion:

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/james-o-dowd_a-month-ago-i-highlighted-that-accentures-activity-7341911790261297153-Txpo?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAABb6A4B6Bfgr3O3JnrFYNVBjrqyKshAVKc
• https://www.ft.com/content/a1a5c903-0a24-4c42-aae0-f86e04c06910
• https://furtheradvisory.com/insights/what-a-successful-advisory-firm-looks-like-in-2026/

It's hard to sell 'architecture' consulting gigs since people frequently don't know what it means or what they're gonna get for their money. Check out this episode for 5 takeaways to help you get better at selling architecture...

This is our first ever LIVE podcast recording at the BCS Enterprise Architecture Annual Conference in 2024.

We Discuss:

• How do you build trust early in EA engagements when you don't have established relationships?
• What's the most important thing to leave behind when a consulting engagement ends - artifacts or wisdom?
• Should architecture be primarily an internal function or can it be effectively outsourced?
• How do you sell abstract EA work through procurement processes that expect concrete deliverables?
• What engagement models work best for EA consulting?

5 Takeaways:

1. Enterprise architecture consulting faces unique sales challenges because it delivers intangible, strategic value rather than concrete deliverables, making it difficult to quantify benefits and navigate procurement processes that expect specific technical roles.
2. Building trust is fundamental to EA consulting success since you're essentially "selling insurance" for long-term organizational health, requiring consultants to meet clients where they are rather than imposing predetermined frameworks.
3. The most effective approach combines a strong internal architecture core team with external consultants who act as "adaptable architects" or "Swiss Army knives," supporting the organization's journey rather than replacing internal capability.
4. Successful EA engagements should leave clients empowered with both tangible assets (playbooks, knowledge bases) and intangible wisdom, positioning consultants as trusted advisors who build client capability rather than creating dependency.
5. The key to overcoming EA's abstract nature is connecting all work directly to business outcomes and strategy, using assessment and questioning to understand the real problems before proposing solutions.

Two seasoned consultants sharing their unexpected journeys into consulting and what has kept them engaged in the field throughout their careers. Here are 4 things you should learn about getting into consulting...

We Discuss:

• Why did they go into consulting?
• Why stay in consulting throughout a career?

Key Highlights:

• Chris and Whynde share their journeys into consulting, with Whynde moving from biology/chemistry to consulting at a boutique firm where her first client was General Electric during the Jack Welch era (00:01:36-00:03:00).
• Whynde's first consulting experience involved working on software for GE's medical machines like CT scanners and MRIs, focusing on pricing and configuration, which helped shape her career through exposure to complex business environments (00:03:22-00:03:42).
• Whynde credits her growth to mentorship from demanding leaders, including a CEO at her first firm and Doug Hackney, a thought leader in data warehousing and business intelligence (00:04:11-00:04:55).
• Chris entered consulting after working in grocery retail as what would now be called an enterprise architect, eventually joining IBM through connections with their talent pool because he wanted to contribute to how their tools were sold and implemented (00:05:22-00:05:50).
• Chris remains in consulting because he enjoys the human element of technology implementation—understanding how different people's perspectives affect the use cases for tools, creating unique challenges in each environment (00:07:15-00:08:09).

4 Takeaways:

1. Successful consultants often enter the field through unconventional paths, as demonstrated by Whynde transitioning from biology/chemistry to consulting and Chris moving from grocery retail architecture to IBM (00:01:36-00:05:50).
2. Early career experiences with demanding clients like GE during the Jack Welch era established high professional standards that shaped Whynde's future consulting approach, emphasizing quality and excellence (00:03:00-00:03:42).
3. Mentorship plays a crucial role in consulting career development, with both Whynde and Chris highlighting specific leaders who recognized their potential and provided opportunities for growth despite their non-traditional backgrounds (00:02:18-00:04:55).
4. The human element of technology implementation—understanding different perspectives on use cases and business problems—provides ongoing intellectual engagement that keeps experienced consultants interested in the field (00:07:15-00:08:09).

Enterprise Architects are just really good technologists and all they really need to know is the latest thing about AI or Agents or Gonkulators or Flux Capacitors. 🤖 🛸 🤓

Yeah. Right.

Whynde Kuehn and I recently attended the Next Generation SAP Enterprise Architecture Learning Forum at SAP HQ in Newton Square, PA. We spoke to some of our friends who were also attending the event. Our question? What skills do EA's need to navigate the tidal wave of transformation? 💫 💥 💬

We Discuss:

- What does an architect need to know and develop skill-wise to navigate the coming transformation?

- What are the skills for the future that an architect needs to have?

- What do consultants need to do to take the journey of transformation, whether with AI, robotics, or other technologies?

- What are the most important skills for enterprise architects helping organizations with transformation now and in the future?

5 Takeaways:

1) Enterprise architects must understand how data quality affects AI outcomes, as emphasized by examples of poor or outdated training data that leads to irrelevant AI responses in practical applications like customer service.

2) The role of enterprise architects is rapidly evolving beyond technical specialization, requiring them to develop flexible mindsets and continuously learn about emerging technologies from cloud to AI to quantum computing.

3) Effective consultants need to master the ability to "switch hats" and understand different perspectives, using question-based approaches to better comprehend client contexts before recommending solutions.

4) Linda Finley describes a three-layered approach to enterprise architecture: implementation/integration at the base, business strategy/capability definition in the middle, and a "mystic" visionary layer that anticipates future opportunities and disruptions.

5) Technology initiatives like AI should not be developed as standalone strategies but rather integrated into the organization's existing direction and purpose to maximize business value and optimization.

Is it difficult to find work these days if you've spent your consulting career as a generalist? What is the real value of broad experience in today's market and is it actually an advantage rather than a limitation? There are 6 things you need to know...

We Discuss:

• Is being a "jack of all trades, master of none" truly a disadvantage when transitioning from consulting to industry?
• At what point in a consulting career do you decide "I suck at this" and need to get out?
• Does the world really not value generalists, or are we just telling the wrong story?
• Should consultants with broad experience focus on developing a specialty, or continue leveraging their generalist background?
• If you're facing an "up or out" situation and need to find a job quickly, should you focus on building new skills or leveraging your existing network?

6 Takeaways:

1. Many consultants struggle with career transitions not because they lack skills, but because they're approaching the job search incorrectly by mass-applying to positions instead of leveraging their existing professional networks.
2. Being a "utility player" or generalist in consulting can be a significant strength, particularly in emerging fields like AI and sustainability where connecting different domains of knowledge is crucial.
3. When faced with career transitions, consultants should focus on crafting a compelling two-sentence narrative about their value proposition rather than trying to list every skill and experience they've accumulated.
4. Challenge the common self-assessment of "poor business development skills" among consultants. Such perceived failures often stem from structural issues within consulting firms rather than individual capabilities.
5. The corporate world's bias against generalists is largely a remnant of industrial-era thinking, even though modern business challenges increasingly require broad, integrative thinking.
6. Career management should be proactive rather than reactive, suggesting that building and maintaining professional networks should happen continuously throughout one's career, not just during transitions.

To read the Reddit thread that we are reacting to in this episode, check out this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/consulting/comments/1cbecjo/jack_of_all_trades_master_of_none/

It's that time of year. Overeating. Overthinking. Overimbibing. But full of festive spirit and reflection. What are YOU reflecting on this last week of 2024?

On this show we have a tradition of recording an end-of-year discussion. This year we share our most profound learnings from 2024... But it isn't pie in the sky stuff... No. We always keep it fresh and practical for the cats out there...

We Discuss:

7 Takeaways:

There's a train of thought that says all consultants are in sales. Maybe. But there is definitely a change in bizdev as you progress from Analyst to Partner. Making the transition from a delivery-focused consulting role to one that requires business development can feel like stepping into an entirely new career, especially when you haven't spent years cultivating relationships with potential buyers.

Developing the skills to identify opportunities, build meaningful client relationships, and contribute to sales requires a different mindset and approach that many consultants find challenging to navigate.

Oh and your performance appraisal increasingly depends on what work you can bring in.

Deep in the ol' Reddit r/Consulting forum, I found a post by a newly promoted consultant who now faced the prospect of needing to sell. So of course we talked about it on the show...

We Discuss:

• How do you begin to build relationships with potential buyers when you haven't had much opportunity to create those connections until now?
• Is business development and relationship building a learned skill, or do you need natural EQ/people skills to succeed?
• When using social media (particularly LinkedIn) for business development, is it enough to simply engage and comment, or do you need to develop unique perspectives and content?
• How do you navigate the transition from being a technical/delivery expert to becoming more of a trusted advisor who can identify and sell solutions?

5 Takeaways:

1. The most effective path for consultants transitioning to sales roles is to leverage existing client relationships where trust has already been established, rather than trying to build entirely new connections under pressure of sales targets.
2. Successful business development in consulting requires a strategic approach to relationship elevation, where consultants work collaboratively with junior client contacts to earn trust before attempting to reach C-level decision makers.
3. Technical consultants can contribute meaningfully to sales by identifying opportunities during project work and channeling them through senior partners, earning sales attribution credit without having to personally close deals.
4. On LinkedIn, the optimal engagement strategy for consultants is to make three thoughtful comments daily on potential buyers' content while limiting original posts to once or twice per week, focusing on providing value before making any asks.
5. Long-term success in consulting sales requires maintaining a consistent professional focus and expertise in specific areas, rather than taking a scattered approach across multiple topics or industries.

For reference, here's the Reddit post: https://lnkd.in/ePhFepwu

AND if you stick around till the end... there's a brilliant bit of advice from one of the top voices on LinkedIn, Richard Bliss ( therichardbliss.com ) who gave us HIS expert perspective on this topic. You cannot miss that bit. And speaking of sales, he usually charges for that advice...

Management consultants often grapple with the challenge of articulating what they do while simultaneously questioning if what they do truly matters. Watch this episode for 6 takeaways you need to know about meaning and purpose in consulting.

We Discuss:

Key Highlights:

6 Takeaways:

To read the Reddit threads that we are reacting to in this episode, check out these two posts: