The first question that comes to mind when speaking with Brent Baker is:
"Where did you find the time to do all of this?" Baker's resume holds enough
work experience for three people.
Formerly a rear admiral and chief of information, Baker left the U.S. Navy
in 1992 after a distinguished 30-year career that took him to Pacific, Atlantic,
European and North American bases of operation. One of the responsibilities
of his position as rear admiral was to serve during the war in the Persian
Gulf.
Since his retirement from the navy, Baker has worked full time as dean
of America's largest college of communication at Boston University and part
time as a management consultant.
Baker's style of management consulting is one that emphasizes fitting his
advice to the way that each client does business. "There are many ways of
doing the job," he says. "There is not a best way. The key is to use the strategy
and tactics that fit you and the company's culture."
What management consultants have to do, says Baker, is figure out where
the real power in a company lies and who is making the decisions. Very often,
it's not the person at the top who knows best.
"When I was an admiral in the Pentagon, I used to meet with new employees.
I would tell them that they would see a formal organization chart, but that
was not where the power was. I would ask them to come back in about two months.
"Then I would ask them for their opinion on who really ran the organization
and how things got done. Once the employee trusted me, I found out some important
things I needed to know."
It's important for a management consultant to understand the odd ways in
which companies function and how the work is organized, because without that
information their recommendations will be useless. Baker has some interesting
stories that show how many organizations -- even the most secure and complex
-- are not always run by the people at the top.
"When I was an admiral, with all sorts of high security clearances, I found
out the exact time the Allied war in the gulf would begin in January 1991
from the CBS Pentagon correspondent David Martin -- not from the navy. Even
the secretary of state didn't know when the war would begin.
"I also remember," Baker continues, "when I worked for the Joint Chiefs
of Staff and had special security clearances. I sat in on special briefings
that were open only to the top leaders. And yet, many of the top secret things
I learned from my special leadership status were often commonly known to street
smart journalists who worked the organization and always seemed to know what
was really going on."
Baker notes that through both of these incidents, and several others, he
gained insight into one of the most important facts of management consulting.
"I learned that leaders must show loyalty and respect down the chain to the
lowest employees before you can expect to receive real loyalty up the chain
of management.
"As an executive, you may never have a bad meal again, but you'll never
hear the truth again, either. The higher up in an organization you are, the
more isolated you can become."
Management consultants, says Baker, are useful to business because their
position allows a viewpoint on the organization not available to those working
from within.
"I like being an outsider who can step back from the daily pressures and
have a clear view of the work process in a company. Common sense comes into
play when working through problems. Sometimes managers are really too close
to the daily grind to stop and see the little things."
Being an outsider has its challenges as well. "While there is a benefit
from being an outsider, there is also a cost. You must gain the trust of the
company leadership and employees in order to discover what the problem and
possible solutions might be."
The outsider status of a management consultant also does not insulate them
from the tough decisions that need to be made when fixing problems. Some of
these decisions have real human consequences.
"The toughest choice you can make is to recommend changes that you know
will cause people to lose their jobs. I have advised that people be dismissed
and offices closed. The really sad thing is to see a senior manager who is
not up to the job and must be let go. When you talk to them about their leadership
or management weaknesses, it breaks your heart when they say you are the first
person to ever sit down and tell them about their shortcomings."
In the end, says Baker, there are a couple of golden rules any manager
should keep in mind. "Balance between work, home life and play is still important,"
he says. "Good companies know that they must provide time off and good benefits
so employees can do their best at work. The best companies are those with
open communication lines to their employees and customers."
While there's a lot of economics, business theory and systems analysis
caught up in being a management consultant, people like Baker show that the
heart of the career is being open to the real needs of those you're trying
to help.
Lynn Haight, who works in the area of executive replacement, has had extensive
experience as a management consultant.
Haight offers advice to someone wishing to enter the field of management
consulting. "Keep yourself very well up on what's going on in the business
world. Own stocks. Read [newspapers]. Make sure you are aware of what's going
on in the country," she says.
Haight says there are no specific qualifications to be a management consultant.
"Management consulting crosses many disciplines," says Haight. "Some have
more technical backgrounds, such as engineering." She suggests good backgrounds
to have include human resources, geo-information systems and marketing.
"Management consultants need to be very familiar with business and management
environments," says Haight. "They must be highly computer-literate and aware
of computer technology."