Remember your first car? Mine was a second-hand, three-door Toyota RAV4. It had a dodgy fifth gear, manual windows, and a JBL tape deck that felt like cutting-edge technology at the time. I loved that car. I celebrated the odometer hitting 250,000 miles, each mile a testament to its reliability. I haven’t driven a manual car in over a decade. And the thought of manually rolling down a window seems like a throwback to my teenage years.
We’ve come a long way since those days, not just in how we drive, but in how we live and work. The world’s faster, roads are smoother, and what once felt like peak performance now struggles to keep up with even entry-level standards. That car was perfect for its time, but if I were still driving it today, I wouldn’t be enjoying the open road—I’d be battling it.
Much like my beloved RAV4, your firm’s processes might feel comfortable. They’ve taken you this far, they’ve been reliable, and they’ve earned your trust. But in a world that’s accelerating every day, the systems you once relied on are quickly becoming the outdated vehicles of a past era. You might not see it yet, but the comfort of familiarity could be the very thing that’s keeping you from real progress.
Comfort vs. Complacency
There’s a fine line between comfort and complacency. Comfort feels good. It’s reassuring, familiar, and safe. But complacency is different. It’s the point where comfort turns into inertia, where we stop pushing ourselves and our firms to adapt to a world that’s constantly evolving. It’s that moment when your systems, which once served you well, are quietly holding you back.
Just like that old RAV4, the tools and processes you’re using today were probably top-tier when you first adopted them. But consulting, like driving, has evolved. The roads are better, the speeds are faster, and what was once good enough is now a relic of a time that’s passed on by. You wouldn’t drive a car without modern safety features, automatic windows, or GPS. So why run your firm with processes that were designed for yesterday’s ideals?
Why are you still talking about upgrading to S/4HANA or just considering migrating from MS Access? I bet that the M365 Copilot trial is still in your inbox somewhere.
The Risk of Staying in First Gear
Let’s get real. How many of your firm’s workflows feel like they’re still stuck in that dodgy 5th gear? Are your client reports manual, dragging down your team’s time? Are your data processes clunky and outdated, requiring constant oversight?
It’s easy to justify staying with what’s familiar. “It works,” you might say. “Our clients are happy.”
Are they really? Or have they just adapted to your pace because they don’t know—for now—what else is possible?
Imagine if you had the chance to jump into a brand-new car with automatic everything—better speed, more comfort, smarter features—and you turned it down to stay with your 1.4 litre Golf just because you’ve got used to the way the clutch feels. Sounds crazy, right? Yet that’s exactly what many firms are doing when they resist embracing newer, more efficient tools like AI and automation.
The Roads Have Changed—So Should You
The business world is moving faster than ever. AI has shifted from a cutting-edge concept to a must-have tool for consulting firms that want to stay relevant. The firms that adopt it aren’t just cruising; they’re speeding ahead with greater efficiency, better client outcomes, and more room to innovate.
You wouldn’t take a cross-country road trip in a car that could barely make it out of your driveway, so why continue running your business with outdated systems?
AI, automation, and data-driven insights aren’t here to replace the human element of your consulting work. They’re here to enhance it—just like a navigation system guides you to your destination while you keep your hands on the wheel. These tools help you work faster, smarter, and with more precision. And when you free yourself from the mundane, repetitive tasks, you’ll have more time to focus on the human element that really sets your firm apart: creativity, strategy, and relationships.
Finding Comfort in Improvement
Here’s the irony: while you might feel comfortable with the old way of doing things, true comfort lies in improvement. Today’s technology isn’t just about speed and efficiency—it’s about ease, reducing friction, and making your work smoother. Once you embrace these changes, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them.
Think about how much easier it is to drive with cruise control, automatic braking, and lane-assist. You’re not less in control—in fact, you’re more comfortable because the technology is supporting you, making the journey less stressful. The same goes for AI in consulting. It’s not about giving up control; it’s about finding new levels of comfort in how your firm operates. Improvement isn’t just change for the sake of change—it’s an upgrade in how you live and work.
Time for a Tune-Up?
Ask yourself: Is your firm still riding on the legacy of its “first car,” or is it time for an upgrade? Take a hard look at your processes, your workflows, and your tools. Are they helping you drive forward, or are they holding you back, like an old car on a motorway?
Embrace the improvements. AI isn’t about trading your firm’s identity for a faster ride—it’s about finding new comfort in progress, a smoother journey, and a more reliable vehicle for the road ahead.
What’s one process in your firm that’s overdue for an upgrade?