Trusted advisors who understand leaders

The military term is High Altitude, Low Opening (HALO) – drop people and supplies above the range of conventional weapons and radar, have their parachutes deploy at the last moment.

It’s all about stealth and the success of the mission. Get in, get the job done, and done right, leave the glory to someone else.

That’s how Forty under 40 alumnus Leigh Harris and her team approach every client engagement at Halo Management Consulting, one of Ottawa’s Fastest Growing Companies. Tackle the toughest problems, under the radar.

“Our reward is our clients’ success,” said Harris, who serves as President and Executive Consultant. “We get in the trenches, shoulder to shoulder, to help them and, ultimately, their organizations, succeed.”

Those clients range from government departments to multinational businesses. But Harris and her team don’t work with organizations. They work with leaders – at all levels who find themselves faced with complex and high-risk challenges that demand elevated competence, utmost discretion, professionalism and assurance of trust. 

Building long-term relationships

“The majority of our new business comes from client referrals,” Harris said. “Peer-to-peer leaders who say, ‘if you have a sticky, risky or contentious problem, these are the people you want to call.’”

Repeat clients represent eighty-five per cent of Halo’s business. The team believes that the other 15 per cent are former clients who just haven’t locked into their next challenge yet.

“We don’t sell methodologies,” Harris said. “Our sweet spot is to work with the best methods suited to the challenge, blend them into a solution and course of action that is specific to each unique situation and support that with the right talent.”

That talent is drawn directly from Halo’s own team, or, for specific skillsets, from the network of management consultants and industry partners Harris has collaborated with over 20+ years.

Not a hammer in search of a nail

Every action has consequences. Harris characterizes her team’s approach as one of conscience and responsibility – don’t advise or pursue a course of action until you fully understand its ripple effect across the whole system.

For example, it may make sense to achieve a goal by opting to cut spending, but that may ultimately leave the organization disadvantaged in some other way down the road – “systems thinking” in every situation.

All this makes Halo the best of both worlds – the depth and breadth of a large professional services organization, with the agility and nimbleness of a team of independent and  conscience-driven professionals who take pride and responsibility in what they do.

“Halo is not a collection of lone wolves – we are a pack,” Harris said. “And we are always looking to grow the pack with talented professionals and partner teams who seek work flexibility, an intellectual challenge and the reward of working in trust-based relationships with inspiring leaders and teams.”

Learn more at https://halomc.ca.