Working Philosophy and Values

Any consultant that does not have an articulated statement of beliefs will never achieve any measure of distinction. A trusted advisor is that individual who articulates a working philosophy and can be counted upon to behave in congruence with that philosophy.

WORKING VALUES:

Patrick's work occurs in the larger context of a few professional values:

• "Reputation before revenue."  Patrick will not accept a client assignment unless he has some basis for believing that he can deliver real, measurable value.  When some firm hires Patrick he resolves to provide them with "more than they are paying for, more than they expected, and more than anyone else would have provided, under similar circumstances."
  
• "Always putting the clients' interest first."  Any and all recommendations or actions advocated to clients are the same recommendations that would be made if Patrick were an equity shareholder in your firm, without regard to his own personal interests. So, be warned - he is not going to tell you what he things you want to hear!
  
• "Self Reliance."  Whenever and wherever possible Patrick will assist clients to do for themselves that which they might otherwise be required to retain outside counsel to do for them.

Patrick does not seek to have a client provide a continuous stream of work, nor has he ever worked on an hourly billing rate.  Each engagement is separately assessed in accordance with its own set of issues, objectives and desired outcomes.

NO LEGIONS OF JUNIORS:

Patrick's strategies are not cookie cutter.  And neither is the way he works with clients.  He works lean; sometimes with a seasoned team drawn from his network; occasionally supplemented with some leading expert in some specific field of expertise.  And he works fast, quickly helping you to developing a pragmatic program of action, capable of being effectively implemented.

SATISFACTION GUARANTEE:

Patrick's work is unconditionally guaranteed to the complete satisfaction of his clients. 

"If you are not completely satisfied with the services provided at any stage of an engagement, I will, at your option, either completely waive the professional fees, or accept only that portion that truly reflects your level of satisfaction." 

This has always been his operating style, for the past 30 years.

EXCLUSIVITY:

Patrick undertakes and warrants that he will NOT accept a consulting assignment on behalf of any other competing firm in your city, during the period of his working on your behalf (and depending upon the sensitive, strategic nature of the assignment, for some agreeable period of time thereafter).

ONGOING SUPPORT:

As an integral part of any consulting assignment, Patrick will, for a period of three months following the completion of the engagement, provide support (by way of telephone discussions and/or e-mail communication) to answer, confer, and assist the managing partner or CEO, on the ongoing implementation of any projects arising from his work with your firm.

CONFIDENTIALITY:

Patrick will not disclose any information relevant to the nature of his client relationships, the specific work undertaken, or any information obtained either during or after the completion of an assignment as a result of his involvement.  Only after some time has passed and only if a client publicly refer to his involvement, would he acknowledge that he has served a particular firm.

This philosophy is not the result of some cultivated secrecy or mystique.  It is what Patrick believes to be professional behavior and the appropriate posture given a conviction that he serves to supplement his clients' leadership, but never replace it.

MUTUAL COMMITMENT:

During any assignment, Patrick will have various tasks and projects that it makes sense for him to undertake on your behalf.  He undertakes to complete those tasks on time and to the very best of his abilities.  The professionals at a client firm will most likely also have various assignments that they will have agreed to undertake.  Should they not fulfill their promises, Patrick will immediately inform you and, should the situation continue, you may expect that he will 'fire you' as a client.

While that may sound impertinent, you can appreciate that it does not advance your interests to be investing fees that serve to produce no meaningful progress.  Concurrently, it does not promote Patrick's reputation to have you questioning, months later, why you have not seen results.