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Business Review

INTERVIEW Anton Noë

Anton Noë took the initiative to launch the Youhere© network and is cur-

rently “Ringmaster” and one of the “Tool Masters”.

Noë was interviewed by Jon Henham. This took place as a part of a

Carousel of interviews organized by “The Entrepreneurial Network”, a

network of Business and Management Consultants.

___________________ Can you share something about your background and the reasons that you

are making this move in your career? I studied International Business Administration at

the American University in Paris. Shortly after this

period I was approached by a friend who worked

for an American Consulting Organization. Inter-

views were organized and I started my first as-

signment as a Junior Consultant in October 1982.

Today, October 2012, I look back at a rewarding

experience and fascinating period during which I

Business Review

have worked as a Business Consultant in more than

20 countries on literary hundreds of assignments in

almost all types of Business. I have been Project

Manager, Vice President of Operations, Chief Pre-

senting Analyst, Operations Director, Managing

Director, and CEO of various Business and Man-

agement Consulting Companies.

Even though I have worked a lot as a manager of

Management Consultants, I have come to realize

that that is not my strength. In fact, I don’t like

managing people merely because I happen to be

their boss in a hierarchical sense . I prefer to be

recognized as an expert and professional in certain

fields. I prefer to be followed because I have some-

thing to say that is worth following, not because I

am authorized by rank and line of command to tell

people what to do.

Within the limits of my professional skills, and they

are in fact quit limited, I like digging into work

practices in order to really grasp what’s going on. I

Like to use this understanding to develop clear

perspectives of future opportunities and ways to

achieve true and lasting benefits in organizations

of all kinds.

Over the years I have learned that I am good, very

good, at using only a limited number of tools.

Those are the tool that I want to stick to and that I

will propose to my clients; Business and Marketing

Consultants.

I am very proud that my preferences and visions

are shared by a number of real professionals that I

have been lucky to meet over the years. Profes-

sionals who have come to understand what makes

them true professionals and what specific skills and

tools make them the best in their specific.

We are not (and do not work with) so called “Jacks

of all trades” that claim to be capable of doing and

delivering everything that a company needs in the

process of change and innovation or even survival.

This is why I decided, together with a number of

real professionals in my network, to create this

new label; Youhere©. A label for by professionals

for professionals.

The first thing that puzzled me is the name; Youhere© , Where does it come

from? What does it mean? You are right to ask that question. We started this

initiative by listing the value that we can create for

our market. From the beginning it was clear that

we want to work for Consultants. Wait … let me to

broaden this and then be more specific….

In a broad sense: we offer our

services to high end B2B service

providers; Business Consultants,

Management Consultants, Advi-

sors, Providers of Interim Man-

agement Solutions, Accountants

and so forth.

More specific: we offer our ser-

vices to professionals who are in-

volved in Business Process Rede-

sign Programs, Change Manage-

ment, Turn Around Management,

Crisis Management. Consultants

that work for in middle sized to

large organizations where large

volumes of services and/or

products are ‘made’ and deliv-

ered.

In short, we want to offer our tools and services to

top notch professionals who are asked and trusted

to deal with complex and crucial challenges. We

are talking about professionals that either work for

International Consultancies or work in Boutique

Niche Consulting Groups. With other words, they

work under their own labels.

34

QUOTE:

A diagnostic tool is

supposed to create

an objective diag-

nosis. It is not mend

to confirm what the

doctor thinks.

Thank you for that Anton, but can I have an answer to my question please? Yes of course. Everything we produce, will be Pri-

vate Label; “under our client’s own label”, unless

the client wishes differently. Youhere© refers to

that; ‘your logo here’, the place where the client’s

logo will be. It’s as simple as that.

Anton, you state that Youhere© provides tools and tool related expertise to

Business and Management Consultants…. What does that mean? Contrary to what some people believe, Manage-

ment and Business Consultancy is not about talking

and thinking and advising. It’s not about serious

gentleman in grey suits that determine the future

course of action. Consultancy is a profession. Be-

fore decisions are made and innovations and im-

provements are implemented it is necessary to get

the facts and to know exactly what the conse-

quences are of a specific course of action. Analyti-

cal and diagnostic tools are required In that pro-

cess. We, Youhere©, provide the tools and the skills

that are required. We do this as transparent and

methodically as we can.

Each tool comes with a Tool Master.

Our clients, experienced Consultants, tell

us which tool to use and what they want

to get out of it.

We confirm and engage on detailed deliv-

erables.

We deliver according to previously agreed

specifications

That sounds like textbook stuff Anton, some terms need more explanation.

Can you be more specific? Sure, this is something that we have thought about

a lot. We use clear definitions.

Tool: is a well documented method or

procedure that has been tested and used

in various situations and environments.

Tool Master: is somebody who has used a

specific tool repeated-

ly and who knows and

understands how to

turn the use of a spe-

cific tool into a valua-

ble outcome or con-

clusion.

Detailed deliverables: most of our tools

are analytical tools, they provide insight

and understanding in otherwise unclear

themes and situations. We will never

commit up front to delivering a certain

‘desired’ outcome. We will however

commit to deliver the agreed components

of the analysis outcome.

Be it merely data or be it data (1) + inter-

pretation (2) + facts (3) + conclusions (4) +

comprehensive analyses reporting (5)

+

presentation materials (6)

.

Agreed specification: format, language,

house style of cli-

ent (consulting

organization), in-

formation carrier

(paper, portal,

digital, tec.)

QUOTE:

A tool is like a music

instrument, in the

hands of an amateur

it can produce atro-

cious sounds

Business Review

The Business and Management Consultancy market is not very ‘Booming’

these days. Why wouldn’t experienced Consultants do this themselves? Because they are experienced professionals. Why

does a surgeon not do the work of a radiologist?

Why does a Registered Account not do the work of

a Bookkeeper. Our Tool Masters are Masters in

using their tools.

They have done so for a long time, in many envi-

ronments, often in challenging situations and usu-

ally with good results.

Are you a threat to Consultants? Does Youhere© not compete with Business

and Management Consultants? … with their own clients? That is a very valid question. In fact our clients,

Business and Management Consultants raise the

same question. So I am glad to address this con-

cern.

Firstly, we’d be out of business in no time if our

clients have the experience that we go to their

clients directly. The Business and Management

Consultancy world is a small world. If we would do

that only once then that would be the end of

Youhere©.

Secondly, we would be in legal battles all the time

as we agree to work with a non-compete agree-

ment. Obviously we also comply with the non-

disclosure clauses that our clients agree with their

clients.

Thirdly, we work in the operational areas of the

organization, that is where we create most value.

We do not operate in the strategic area, together

with the CXO’s, the VP’s and the Boards, that is the

domain where our clients work.

Fourth and lastly, we produce half-fabricates, they

are useless without being assembled into final

products. It’s comparable to a car, we can provide

a lot of sub-assemblies like the engine or the elec-

tronics but we have neither the people nor do we

have the marketing to produce, distribute and

bring to market the final vehicle.

Are you comparing Business Consultancy with Car Manufacturing? Yes, in fact, I am. Intelligent sourcing, balanced

supply chain logistics and co-creative work practic-

es are the only reason that we in Europe still have

a car industry. Europe still makes the best cars in

the world even though the cost of labor is much

higher than in competing regions. Co-

entrepreneurship and a strong focus on best prac-

tices and World Class Excellence make the differ-

ence between success and failure.

We believe that the high end B2B service Industry

needs to develop World Class standards as well.

Some of the very very big International Consulting

practices, say, “the big 5” have most required tal-

ent, competences and skills ‘in-house’. The prob-

lem there is that they need to allocate the right

talent, high potentials, at the right time to the right

job. Many other Consultancies, even the big firms

on national levels don’t have all the skills at their

immediate disposal on an if and when needed

basis. That’s where we come in. We work with the

best firms, i.e., the firms that understand that they

are not super heroes, specialized in all areas of

Business and Management Consultancy. That is

where we come in. We deliver a few very specific

tools with specialized

people that master

these tools. We do not

work in the strategic or

tactical domains of the

organization, but restrict ourselves to the so called

work floor.

QUOTE:

We are pretty sure that

what we do, we do bet-

ter.

36

__________________ Material used during interview

Youhere©

We work primarily in the operational areas of organizations. We conduct operational studies. We gather data and information, we conduct surveys and we deliver great insights in operational work practices.

We support consultants in the tactical (management) and strategic (CXO) areas with great conclusions, fantastic presentations and compelling arguments to further strengthen the relationships with their clients.

Positioning

___________________

Can you give me an example of a tool that Youhere© delivers? Yes. Allow me give you two examples. One that I

consider a classical tool that has been used by

myself for more than 20 years; the Brown Paper

Workshop and one that I am very proud of Prezi.

The Brown paper Workshop is a tool that we offer

for a set price, it entails 3 steps;

1. preparing the workshop with attendees,

2. the workshop

3. the reporting

this tool will deliver the following:

- A transparent insight in the actual pro-

cesses and work practices of any organiza-

tion

- A full inventory of areas of improvement,

obstacles in the work processes, made by

the same people that are working in the

process.

- A categorized plan of action and a com-

prehensive presentation of steps to take

to improve the work practices

- A photographic documentary of the work-

shop,

More importantly, the Brown Paper Workshop is

usually the start of a collective improvement pro-

gram based on people’s own perceptions and on

broad consensus.

These deliverables will put our clients, anagement

an Business Consultants who hired us to use the

tool and deliver the above effects, in a great posi-

tion to agree on more work, follow up steps, may-

be the next phase of a project.

The second example is based on the skills of one of

my partners in the use of Prezi. Not only does Prezi

make Powerpoint look like a dull and boring medi-

um. More important is that Prezi is unequalled in

getting a message across What makes our services

in the area of preparing presentations unique is

not our understanding of the software tool alone.

Its is our expertise at creating buy in at all levels of

the organization.

Business Review

What is the benefit for your clients? Why would Business and Management Consultants

spend money on Youhere©?

We are here for them “if and when need-

ed basis”.

We provide top quality analyses and diag-

nostics on an operational level.

We identify opportunities and point out

obstacles in the operational arena.

We co-create meaningful solutions.

Our tools are designed to help the Con-

sultant to get repeat business, or more

business, or an agreement to do the next

phase of a program

after a readiness or

feasibility study, or a

Go Ahead.

We provide our ser-

vices at a cost level

that is lower than

the cost of deploying

Junior Consultants.

We deliver.

You operate as Private Label Service Provider. How do the Labels Owners react to that?

How do the people of Youhere© present themselves to the final client? They often don’t and it’s certainly not necessary

when we do an assignment based on a web based

tool like a survey or when we are asked to crunch

data. When we do meet with the end client, we

agree with our client, usually the main contracting

consulting company, how we present ourselves.

We will carry their business cards if that is re-

quired.

That’s is only part of the answer, let me try again Anton: Why do you operate on the basis

of Private Label? The Business and Management Consultancy world

is getting more mature. The times that you could

get a guy with a suit to be invoiced at € 6.000,- per

week is long gone. They were called “Billing Cat-

tle”. Back in the 1970-ies and until the beginning

of this century Management Consultancies got

away with that type of quality. Those days are

gone, for good and for the good. Practices like that

have given the whole Consulting Industry a very

bad name.

These days, Consultancies are getting more and

more specialized and professional and by the way,

so are their clients. The counter-effect of speciali-

zation is that serious Consultants no longer act like

– or present themselves as– a Jack of all trades.

This process of maturating is comparable to the

building industry; there are no builders that do

everything themselves, they can’t, they don’t want

to and, by the way, it’s way too expensive.

The same applies to automobile industry, or the

food industry for that matter, there is not one

single company that makes every single part of the

end product. Youhere© is positioned in the supply

chain of the serious Consulting Companies, we

build truly co-creative relationships with Business

and Management Consultants by contracting ex-

clusively on the basis of Private Label conditions:

1. Our tools, reports and all output is gener-

ated “under” our client’s logo, with their

house style and label.

2. We comply with our client’s operational

standards.

3. We work within previously agreed areas

and scope

4. What we do, we do well. In fact, we think

we are the best at what we do.

5. Our aim is to make our client succeed get-

ting a major, more substantial assign-

ment.

QUOTE:

Our Tool Masters

know what they

are doing, What

they do they do

first time right.

Major projects are

not training

grounds for Junior

Consultants

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You didn’t start this initiative very long ago Anton. Who did you work for? First of all, I have worked as a contractor for a

number of international Management and Busi-

ness Consultancy organizations for over 15 years.

The same can be said about my network partners

who have committed to work with Youhere©. We

have been and are working with some top ranking

Consulting Organizations but also boutique and

niche Consulting Bureaus know where to find us.

We are used to working on international assign-

ments in multiple countries and we provide expe-

rienced, knowledgeable and matching profession-

als to get the job done.

Since we started this initiative we have offered our

services and actually supported 5 clients. Let me

share the background of two of them.

NewBeng; a highly qualified boutique consul-

tancy with offices in various European coun-

tries and market leading clients across Europe.

The Holland Talent Group. They are one of the

few fast growing Interim Management Agen-

cies in the B2B market. The Holland Talent

Group provides highly qualified financial pro-

fessionals to both public and private clients.

___________________________________________________________________

Business Review

Anton Noë

POB 238

5110 AE Baarle-Nassau

Netherlands

____________________

antonnoe@yahoo.com

T: +31654754474