You have to be relevant, all the time

Author:  Tony Dreisenstock

How does an external consultant get entrusted with overhauling an entire accounting function for a multinational business operating in South Africa? It’s simple: Clients need to believe that you are adding value all the time.

Since joining The FD and CFO Centre back in 2019, my primary deployment has been with a multinational operating in South Africa with a strategic goal to secure a foothold in the broader African market. Initially I was brought in on a 3-month strategic project and nearly 2 years later, I still have an active role in this organisation.

This deployment has given me food for thought in recent weeks and I have tried to distill some key thoughts here:

Hardened real skills are a rare commodity in South Africa

We have heard about the extensive “brain drain” hitting South Africa and this deployment proves it. Organisations are struggling to appoint or grow internal capacity, and this is translating into a dependence on skilled consultants to go beyond simply plugging gaps.

It takes time to grow a solid accounting function, implement processes and change behaviours and businesses need to factor this in.

If we throw in the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenge of navigating through one of the toughest economic cycles the country has ever faced and you will start to appreciate the value of hardened skills in your business.

Specialist Africa knowledge is in

A key theme you can see playing out across the local economy is that multinationals and grow-focused businesses are seeing South Africa as a springboard for activities in the rest of Africa.

With increased investment in the continent in a variety of industries including technology, agriculture, mining and infrastructure, there are only a small number of people who have on-the-ground experience with African markets.

Having worked in places like Zambia, DRC, Botswana and Ghana, it adds enormous value to our partners who are seeking exposure to the broader African continent.

Organisations struggle to make the tough [but right] decisions

Nobody likes the stereotype of an external consultant or “hired gun” being brought in to disrupt the status-quo … but sometimes tough calls need to be made for the benefit of the broader organisation.

For my most recent deployment, I was brought in to overhaul everything from people through to processes and many of the decisions that were taken were unpopular. “Business as usual” was not an option.

However I can confidently say that the team and processes are significantly stronger and this is now contributing directly to the bottom line.

The client needs to know you are invested

For a global business to consistently renew your contract, they need to know that you offer them something different.

“Consultants” are often seen as short-term – and often expensive – solutions but I would argue that the right consultant is often more invested than many of your core staff. If you don’t deliver quality work on time, there is no sympathetic ear in HR.

You are held to a higher standard and you need to deliver day in and day out.

If this post resonates with you and you would like to setup a discussion, please feel free to reach out to us today.