RavenLogic’s Operating Principles
Although the RavenLogic Advisory team is coming from deep backgrounds in both consulting and corporate leadership, we are not a traditional consulting firm by both design and choice.
Five operating principles drive how we interact with our clients:
We change companies who change industries
Your data are dying to talk to you – now you can listen
We do work that we like with people that we like
The “Zero-Drama Policy” must abide
Don’t work with smart people and treat them like they’re stupid
Let’s go through each one together so you can see where we’re coming from.
We Change Companies Who Change Industries
We’re not here to re-arrange deck chairs on the proverbial Titanic, and we don’t do AFM (Anything For Money) consulting. We embrace a healthy obsession with being the best consultancy out there relating to innovation portfolio management: namely, helping you as a client pick the right projects, and then delivering them to expectations.
If you’re looking for a rubber stamp, CYA exercise, or pro-forma external validation on how to defend your status quo, then we’re not for you. If you need help with those activities, we are happy to provide warm, vetted references to other firms who would be delighted to hear from you.
If you are looking to “Make a dent in the universe” then we ARE for you. You don’t need to be perfect. You don’t need to have it all figured out. We’re looking for clients who have wrestled with knowing that there must be better ways to get their organizations aligned around the right investments, and then deliver the hell out of them. We know that struggle because that’s where we’re coming from, and that’s why we created RavenLogic Advisory as a firm and Clarissimo as a platform.
Your Data Are Dying to Talk to You - Now You Can Listen
You gotta read both parts of this statement.
First, we ask better questions so we get better data; we then apply uniquely insightful analytics interpreted by accomplished senior talent that knows what to do with it in order to fundamentally transform your business.
As for the listening part, you have to be ready to hear things that are going to challenge you and your way of perceiving your business; if you’re not feeling constructively uncomfortable at least part of the time, then we’re not doing our job. Just being up front with that: if that sounds great to you, then we should talk; if you think that sounds scary or makes you uncomfortable, you’re not ready to work with us yet.
We Do Work That We Like With People That We Like
We’re stating up-front that we are demonstrably passionate about our work and want to work with clients who are comfortable with that, and (if given the opportunity) want to feel that way about their work as well.
We double-down on the idea that great work is the result of great relationships. To be clear, that doesn’t mean that we will always get along, or agree, or even like each other in a particular moment. What it does means is that when we are fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with you and your people to move your organization from stuck and stagnant to mobilized and making measurable progress, you’ll know that our team’s primary goal isn’t to secure our next contract extension; it’s to make sure that your organization has the confidence to succeed by incontrovertibly showing you and your stakeholders that you’re on your way to reliably picking the right projects and having them deliver to expectations. Simple in concept, tough in execution, so that’s why we’re here.
Please note, the flip side of this principle is that we follow The No-Asshole Rule both in how we treat each other and our clients, and how we expect to be treated by our clients. Our culture prioritizes straight talk in plain, direct language, based in mutual respect and dignity; these values are non-negotiable to us.
If you and your organization aren’t assholes, then we’ll get along famously. If your idea of a good time is beating your own people and consultants like rented mules “because we paid for them” then please don’t reach out to us.
The “Zero-Drama” Policy Must Abide
As much as we can in any particular situation or environment, we don’t create drama, and we don’t put up with it either.
Since drama often comes from team behaviors and time pressures, let’s talk about each one. We summarize it this way:
Fast-paced work? Great!
High stakes? Our favorite kind!
Manufactured urgency in order to keep everyone running at “just short of a nervous breakdown” pace? Nope, not going to play that!
Allowing corporate sociopaths carte blanche to traumatize everyone because they’re either “the boss” or “make it rain?” Also not playing that.
Why?
Because if you bring us in, it’s likely because you know that you’re already saddled with real problems and you need help in getting light on those issues and framing a new way forward. We’ll fight like demons to help any organization who really wants to change, but let’s be clear – we won’t hesitate to walk away from client environments that do not treat their own people and our team with professionalism and respect.
On the topic of time, there’s one underlying truth here: Really good work takes time: time to listen, time to think, time to plan, and time to act. It’s like an omelet: if you don’t let it cook, you’re going to eat it raw (and we all know how gross that is).
When you work with us, you’ll see first-hand that our focus isn’t on how fast we can do something (although we’re fast & effective), but on what’s really important – how to get powerful, meaningful insights aligned with clear action to help your organization create and sustain value, delivered in a timely (but not breakneck) fashion.
If it’s more important in your organization to be fast than to do it anywhere near right, you’re probably not going to want hire us because you would find our approach to actually changing things for the better to be pretty frustrating. And that’s okay. We wish you the best of luck.
Don’t Work With Smart People and Treat Them Like They’re Stupid
This one goes for how we interact with each other, and how we interact with you and your people.
We covered this idea a bit under the “Now you can listen” section above, but it bears repeating: when you let our approach do its thing, you’re going to be getting a lot of knowledge you haven’t had before, and inevitably some of it is going to be hard to hear.
That’s the stuff you need to listen the most to, as hard as that is.
We’ll work with you to really understand what’s going on, and then work with you to create a no-shit-for-real approach to empowering your people to make the changes you need to make. That means facing hard truths together, and not hiding behind “I don’t think they can handle that” kind of squeamishness. Sorry not sorry, but if that’s how you handle hard problems, then it’s no wonder you’re having so many difficulties for so long.
Another way to put it is, if you want sugar-coating, eat a donut. In fact, if that’s what you want out of your consulting, here are the Dunkin’ and Krispy Kreme websites, whichever is more your style.
Seriously, thanks so much for reading all of this – hope this helps clarify things for you in a really useful way. Whether this amuse-bouche of firm philosophy helps make you want to work with us or not, I genuinely wish you well because it’s hard as hell out there, no matter where you are and what you’re doing.
If you have thoughts, questions, and suggestions, please reach out, I’d love to hear what you think and what you feel about this stuff.
All the best,
Wrapping Up
Matt Arnone
Founder & CEO
RavenLogic Advisory
