Steve Jobs and ChatGPT on Consulting

The word "consulting" can mean different things and have varying values to various people and business owners. I have met CEOs who loved consultants and also met several CEOs who did not like consultants very much. I have also worked in-house management in the past we had external consultants come in. Some were great, and some did not work out so well. And this recording of Steve Jobs speaking in a classroom at MIT was quite notable and insightful, wanted to share on our blog.

"How many of you are from manufacturing companies? Oh, excellent.

Where are the rest of you from?"

laughter

"How many of you are from Consulting? Oh, that's bad."

laughter

"You should do something."

laughter

"No, seriously. I don't think there's anything inherently evil in consulting I think that without owning something for an extended period of time... like a few years, where one has a chance to take responsibilities for one's recommendations, where one has to see one's recommendations through all action stages and accumulate scar tissue for the mistakes and pick oneself up off the ground and dust oneself off... one learns a fraction of what one can.

Coming in and making recommendations and not owning results, not owning implementation... I think is a fraction of value, a fraction of opportunity to learn it and get better. So you do get a broad cut at the companies but it's very thin... it's like a picture of a... banana. You might get a very accurate picture but it's only two-dimensional. And without the experience of actually doing it, you never get three-dimensional.

So you might have a lot of pictures on your wall, show it off to your friends - worked in bananas, peaches... but you never actually tasted it... That's what I think."

"You are also a variable expense at hard times..."

laughter

Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c4CNB80SRc

Also asked ChatGPT what its definition of consulting is:

With experience both in-house and as consultants, our primary focus is to merge our expertise and deliver effective solutions to our clients, ultimately enhancing their day-to-day business operations.

We are dedicated to assisting small to mid-sized businesses by streamlining the lengthy formal process and providing tailored solutions that align with their specific size and budget. Get in touch with us today to schedule a complimentary introductory call and start your journey towards success.