Values and Personality

Execution

We value creativity, sound research, and well-tested frameworks. However, we are driven by the entrepreneur’s zeal for getting things done: our constant focus is on execution: pretty models and “insight” are irrelevant unless they can deliver material results.

Earnestness

Consulting practices favor playing politics and pleasing egos. Instead, we will tell you the truth, as we see it, no matter how bad it hurts. And while our documents are concise and polished, we tend to impress with our candor and our competence, not our slides.

Experience

Claims of earnestness and execution ring hollow unless they have experience as their prerequisite. That is why most of our professionals are very senior. In any (business) conversation, there simply is no substitute for knowing what you are talking about.

Visionary

We favor professionals who are keen to discover systems where others see chaos, and to find solutions while others struggle with problems. And as we believe that true vision is equal part sight, equal part attention, we favor professionals who are mindful of details.

Pragmatic

Seeing the path and walking the path are altogether different actions. We believe that strategy and analysis do matter, but they are only means to an end. Therefore, we favor professionals who will get things done no matter what it takes.

Contrarian

We believe that “common wisdom” is, in fact, quite uncommon, and often quite unwise. Thus we favor professionals who do choose the pursuit truth over the acceptance of consensus, and who will intelligently speak out against the status quo when necessary.

Independent

The pursuit of freedom and greatness cannot be realized without a measure of independence, of the mind and wallet. We favor professionals who hold self-reliance as one of their guiding principles, and whose practices allow for unconcerned intellectual honesty.

Cosmopolitan

While we are not mindless globalists, we believe in a tightly interconnected world. Borders do exist, but they are often meant to be crossed. We favor professionals who are inherently cosmopolitan, with the curiosity of explorers and the nuance of ambassadors.