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Rising Star
Seeking clinical manager RN, Omaha Ne
Additional Posts in Consulting
Mental picture ,Clicked ! 🤘
Anyone else delayed in Term A at LGA?
Chief
What’s the worst US city and why is it NYC?
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Chief
I am gonna go against the tide here and say we all have our roles to play.
Hospitals are notorious for hiring MC to help them operate better which in turn gives doctors the opportunity to treat more people.
A farmer can produce but just producing food is not enough. The food needs to be distributed safely. And MC also work a lot with food companies to help them distribute better.
And I can’t see how soldiers are useful to society
Chief
Nah, McK1's whole argument is predicated on the false assumption that soldiers are only needed to defend against other soldiers. If every other nation's soldiers disappeared, we'd still have a need for soldiers.
Separately, I'm not convinced the consulting industry has a net positive material impact on GDP. TBF, I'm not convinced one way or the other, but I don't think it's a foregone conclusion.
Chief
Y’all who are saying soldiers aren’t useful only say that because you’re so privileged to have never lived in a world where your personal security is in jeopardy.
You can argue about the utility of the grunt who just stacks boxes in a warehouse or sweeps aircraft hangars. But collectively, an effective professional military is worth everything you invest.
Chief
I agree with M1 here. Protection from foreign threats is just one component of our military’s job — protection of financial assets is another. Up to the reader whether that is the “right” thing to do for our common interest.
Rising Star
No. Sorry.
It’s like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Consulting is not necessary to fulfill basic needs. It exists towards the top tier of the pyramid.
There are several reasons that consultants are needed:
- you have a short term project and can't hire someone to do it
- you need an outside view
- you need special skills that you don't have or need long time
- you need more arguments on your side against leadership or employees
- you don't want to take the blame
-...
I chose to become a consultant for a) the money (yes I honestly say that) and that I can change things as an expert in my field (public safety) which helps to save lifes and make the public safer.
For the money I get I have to work longer, train and learn more then others and get paid money. I see myself as privileged and enjoy the time.
Am I better then a soldier, doctor or policeman. No, I am not. They safe life, they give their life. But I do the projects that help them to work safer. I just do something different. You can't compare these two. And often my clients understand that and appreciate what I provide and that I travel far, work longer and can't have their life.
I’m a doctor and a management consultant - answer is irrefutably yes
Why do you say this? Curious
Management consultants I worked with want me to deliver code "as soon as possibleh!1!".
They are not useless, they are the cause of all evil.
I do a lot of consulting in medical and educational institutions. The work I do fundamentally changes how they view the CX. I’ve also worked for an org that provided a software that supports the supply chain for a branch of the military.
Also, never underestimate how something you do affects things somewhere else. If you can’t see the value in what you are bringing to the table, neither can your clients. They hired you because they need help. Am I directly saving lives? No. Am I indirectly saving lives? Yes.
Chief
If that makes the hospital work better than maybe yes
Lol this is a fun thread, but I think OP’s question is silly. There’s no doubt that farmers, doctors, and soldiers are more *essential* than consultants. No society can function without food production, healthcare, and security to keep the peace.
That said, even though the industry is full of BS and is bloated, consulting does provide a good deal of value. Helping companies allocate capital more efficiently helps grow productivity and makes us all wealthier, in theory at least
Chief
Not a chance
Absolutely not.
Chief
If consultants focus on concentrating wealth at the top, then no, they are not as useful as any profession that serves the masses.
It depends a lot on the type of consulting. Digital transformation of a manufacturing company is a pretty obvious net-good — it makes everyone’s work more efficient.
Strategy consulting (which is what I do) has more nebulous value, but arguably we are making it more likely that companies spend their resources on areas most likely to bear fruit and boost gdp-per-capita.
Most importantly, strategy consulting is quite difficult (in terms of hours, soft skills, and hard skills). That’s one of the reasons we we are paid more than teachers or nurses, despite providing less “societal value” — demand exceeds supply, and supply is not very flexible.
Define useful
Helping the average joe and not helping Gordon gecko
Absolutely not, we’re capitalism’s machines.
If we cease to exist, the world will be fine
As useful definitely not, we are useful tho. But looking at the day to day of what I do for the client I feel very unfulfilled.. spending 9 hrs drafting recap notes, building a deck sending it to my manager for review then taking another pass at it, and getting on zoom calls to discuss what content to write on a 1-pager.. useless
Why would you ask that question when you already know the answer?
Dumb question.
Yes, as long as you contribute to the economy and people around you in some way.
I used to think along the same lines prior to entering consulting business. Without us, corporate America will be in doldrums and so will be their growth trajectory.
For nascent economies - you don't need consultants. These countries are just coming off barter system (pun intended) and folks there truly don't understand the relevance of consultants. It is a completely different ball game for advanced economies where commercial and operational issues are paramount
Freelance OP - totally understand if you are not getting it
No
No
To those that are saying soldiers aren’t useful to society… the primary objective of a nation is to provide security to its own people. Before rights, before education, before healthcare, you name it. You wouldn’t enjoy any of those things today if the US was a weak nation that neighboring countries can simply bully. Modern warfare is obviously more than just foot soldiers but without the ability to put boots on the ground anywhere on the globe in 24 hours, and execute any military operation end to end for any objective, we don’t enjoy the many privileges and advantages that we have over the rest of the world.