January 9, 2026
Dear Friends,
We are living through a massive, quiet paradigm shift in the accounting and consulting industries. For decades, the future of professional services was built on a simple premise: clients had a deficit of information, and firms charged premium billable hours to provide it. Today, information is commoditized. Algorithms can generate a risk analysis in seconds. So, where does the true value lie?
It lies in integration.
Years ago, during my time at Orion Health, I was tasked with a monumental challenge: demonstrating the value of sharing healthcare data to reduce costs and improve patient care. To do this, I cultivated high-performing, cross-functional teams comprising clinicians, data scientists, programmers, cybersecurity experts, and regulatory leaders. These brilliant individuals spoke entirely different professional languages. The project’s success didn’t hinge on who had the most data. It hinged on respecting their unique expertise and aligning their disparate goals into one cohesive vision.
The current state of professional services demands this exact same skill set. According to landmark research in the Harvard Business Review, consulting is facing deep disruption because clients no longer want opaque, time-based reports; they demand transparent, measurable, and integrated outcomes1.
When I was ten years old, I swept the shop floors of my father’s wholesale printing company. My dad never went to college, but he built a comfortable retirement and earned profound respect because of his interpersonal skills and integrity. He didn't just sell paper; he integrated himself into his clients' businesses. He operated on the belief of principles over profits.
Today’s consultants must do the same. If your firm is simply delivering disjointed analytics, you are obsolete. You must bridge the gap between cybersecurity fears, financial realities, and operational bottlenecks. You must become the connective tissue.
Look at your firm’s deliverables from the past quarter. Are you simply handing your clients more data to decipher, or are you actively integrating solutions that bring them peace of mind?
The firms that will thrive in this new era aren't the ones with the smartest software. They are the ones with the empathy to listen, the integrity to tell the truth, and the leadership to bring order to chaos.
Best Wishes,
Jack
[1] Christensen, C. M., Wang, D., & van Bever, D. (2013). Consulting on the Cusp of Disruption. Harvard Business Review, 91(10), 106-114.
