Why Another Consulting Firm?

This is the inaugural “Hello World!” message from my newly formed company, Be Know Do, and right up front I know what you are going to ask me: So, why another consulting firm? That’s a fair question, and I owe an explanation for why I started it. How many consultants have…

• Led healthcare organizations from literally the point of injury up to health systems level
• Been formally trained in, and charged with, leader development
• Integrated into new organizations literally across the globe temporarily but expected to operate like it was permanent
• Built and sustained positive cultures with the most stringent “can do!” parameters possible
• Sat in the seat where the consequences of their poor performance literally introduced danger to others around them not just themselves

Those experiences came from my serving in the military while also earning the degrees, credentials, and executive-level experience necessary to succeed in the corporate world. Success in both worlds, frankly, isn’t a guarantee because it’s too easy to gravitate towards one perspective or approach over the other. The origin of the company’s name, Be Know Do, comes from a leadership model used by the US Army. In simple terms it’s who you are, what you know, and how you execute the mission.

So, back to my why. At the core of my why is something that triggers me: injustice. I’m talking about both big “I” and little “i” injustice. But, put into simple terms, the US Healthcare system is broken, and especially so in rural America. Oh, it’s a hot mess in urban areas too, but if you used the term “healthcare desert” around someone from Chicago they might intellectually get the term, but not viscerally.

I’ve said to my team and colleagues that I got better access to advanced health services downrange than our citizens do in rural areas. Don’t mistake this for me thinking servicemembers don’t deserve (and get by the way) world-class healthcare. But in the county where I live currently people have to go one hour or more to get standard specialty care for many specialties.

Similar to rural medicine, when you look across the social services nonprofit landscape there are challenges that good leadership, and operational acumen would address but there is a lack of expertise to assist to help them. So, we intend to be a resource for nonprofits outside the healthcare industry. One thing to consider is that, if some social service organizations falter, the next steps could require the healthcare system to take lead. For example, if you don’t help parents overcome challenges further upstream in dysfunctional families kids may be in the ER or in the ground.

I’m a solutions-oriented person. A friend locally once said “KC, you are definitely in the ‘get shit done’ camp!” Well, I think all leaders should be too. The problem is some leaders often don’t know how to get there, lacking sufficient operational experience, so they hold in place admiring the beauty of the problem. That’s the safe route, but that’s not going to get it done, is it?

So, I’ve started Be Know Do to be a resource for leaders and organizations to improve their mindset and skills to serve their communities effectively. In my opinion, the best plan of attack to implement transformative change is to build up and reinforce healthcare in rural America. This happens by developing leaders who operate in that environment, often in a coaching and mentoring setting. Or by addressing individual pain points not just for a quick fix but to build processes and systems to manage the area moving forward.

So, we’re getting after it. Be Know Do exists to close that gap — between the problem everyone can see and the leadership capacity to actually solve it. We’ll be sharing the thinking behind that work here, consistently. If any of this resonates — whether you’re a rural health leader, a nonprofit director, or someone who just sees the same broken system I do — follow along. The conversation starts here. Be well…KC