Episode 139: No Partners, No Promotions: The unorthodox path to consulting success with Simon Dixon

There are countless organisations out there claiming to do business differently. So much so, that ‘disruptive’ has become a permanent fixture in games of buzzword bingo. But very few organisations are actually breaking the mould, and only the rarest exceptions can truly back up their claim of disrupting the way traditional business is done. Our guest on the latest episode of Climb in Consulting is one such exception. Simon Dixon is Founder and CEO of Hatmill, the UK’s largest logistics consultancy, and no.1 in the Great Place To Work® list of the UK’s best small workplaces. The 60-strong consultancy, established in 2009, delivers end-to-end supply chain and logistics support to deliver improvements across warehousing, transport, forecasting and inventory. Hatmill was always going to be different. It arose from Simon’s dissatisfaction with the employee experience in conventional consultancies – the hierarchical structures, grades, pressure to achieve KPIs and targets, and the assumption that everyone wants to climb the greasy ladder to make partner. With Hatmill, Simon stripped all of that away. There are no grades, no managers, no sales targets and no KPIs. And while this approach may sound counterintuitive, it’s helped them build a successful consultancy that’s also recognised as one of the best places to work in Europe. In fact, in its 2023 survey, 100% of its employees said it was a great place to work. In this episode, Nick and Simon cover a lot of ground, delving into the details of how Hatmill has grown, and how it’s managed (or rather, self-managed) on a day-to-day basis. You’ll find out: - How Hatmill have built a self managed team and the key tenets that underpin their unique business model. - The reason Hatmill doesn’t have grades or promotions, and why this has been a huge contributor to their success. - Why Hatmill eschews the traditional, corporate appraisal model – and why their only measures are whether employees are living Hatmill’s values, and performance against other people’s expectations - The reason Hatmill doesn’t have traditional HR policies, and why, in an ideal world, Simon would prefer there to be no CEO at all. If you’re looking for a fresh approach to running your consultancy, this could be just what you need! We hope you enjoy the show! Reach out to Simon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-dixon-hatmill/?originalSubdomain=uk Learn more about Hatmill: https://hatmill.com/ Books, magazines, and websites mentioned in the show: Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness, by Frédéric Laloux The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It, by Michael E. Gerber Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It, by Chris Voss