Episode 133: Reinventing Consulting: How adversity led to employee owned success, with Matt Cheung

In this week’s episode, Nick chats with Matt Cheung, CEO at Clarasys, the international business consulting firm, focused on delivering the best possible experiences for their clients and their people. Regular listeners may recognise Matt’s name, and that’s because Matt was the very first guest on Climb In Consulting. Having previously talked about the origins of Clarasys and Matt’s journey to founding the business in that episode, Nick and Matt wanted to do something a little different with this one, and use it as a chance to go into detail on many of the principles behind Claraysis’s success. In this Conversation Nick and Matt talk about a range of topics that challenge the common orthodoxy in consulting, as Matt shares his perspective on why these widely held beliefs are actually holding people and consultancies back. They cover some fascinating areas, including: - Why Matt believes the traditional hierarchical approach to running organisations has had its day - The importance of being open and honest with your people, even in difficult times - Why Matt thinks many Consultants are unhappy – and the ingredients we all need to find happiness at work - How and why Matt took the decision to turn Clarasys into an Employee Ownership Trust …and much more besides, including a chat about Matt’s fascinating book ‘Trust and Patience’ – the story of how he built Clarasys. So if you’re just starting out on your consulting journey, thinking of making the leap from firm to founder, or simply enjoy listening to values-driven success stories, you’ll love this episode of Climb in Consulting. We hope you enjoy the show! Reach out to Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcheungclarasys/ Learn more about Clarasys: https://www.clarasys.com/ Books, magazines, and websites mentioned in the show: Trust and Patience, by Matt Cheung and Samantha Roberts Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness, by Frédéric Laloux Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel Pink Corporate Rebels: Make work more fun by Joost Minnaar, Pim de Morree The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth, by Amy C. Edmondson