In What Do You Think? Preparing for the Question That All Clients Ask , Brad Smith, Chairman of Milliman, lays out a series of short, to-the-point anecdotes on everything from integrity and Enron to the power of full disclosure and the financial crisis of 2008. The genesis for the book, he says, was a number of speeches that he's given over the years to young professionals. He was encouraged to record them and write them down. "So, I did," he says. "The essence of my message to them to them is contained in this book." The result is a life-long road map for the profession—from starting a consulting career and finding success once you're there to developing your personal leadership and management styles. Smith sat down with Consulting to share some of the insights contained in the book.
Consulting: A lot of this book focuses on the advice for a young consultant. Do you think the challenges are different from when you entered the profession?
Smith: I think many of the challenges are the same, but the world moves a lot faster than it did back then so it's easier to do the work and to stay connected. But I also think the speed at which everything happens adds to the challenges facing today's consultants. The environment in which we operate today is very different, but I think the one question that clients ask—What Do You Think?—remains true today and hasn't really changed over the years. And while much of the book focuses on advice for young consultants, I think plenty of it is applicable to experienced consultants or other business professionals.
