Richard, Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho LLC : Advize Career Interview

Richard's career journey, a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho LLC, began with a post-graduation pivot into finance before evolving into operations and financial consulting across diverse industries.

A typical day involves partnering with entrepreneurs, tackling challenges from technical issues to fundamental business problems, all while prioritizing practical implementation.

Crucial skills include technical expertise combined with finely tuned interpersonal abilities, emphasizing deep listening and relationship building.

One of the most rewarding aspects is seeing passionate individuals navigate challenges and achieve success, leveraging past experiences to guide others.

The biggest challenge is prioritizing meaningful work, driven by a passion for helping others build value and create a tangible impact, as exemplified by assisting a ballet dancer in revitalizing performance art in their town.

Thriving in this industry requires receptiveness to feedback, early mentorship, and celebrating milestones.

A significant lesson learned is recognizing that acute moments are not always as significant as they feel, and self-forgiveness and resilience are crucial.

For aspiring consultants, consider entry-level positions across companies of all sizes and actively network to uncover unforeseen opportunities.

Above all, appreciate your resilience and recognize your strength in overcoming challenges, because the ability to persevere is the cornerstone of success.

Advizer Information

Name

Job Title

Company

Undergrad

Grad Programs

Majors

Industries

Job Functions

Traits

Richard Clarke

Business Consultant and Professor

Lucid Morpho LLC

College of Charleston

University of San Diego (MBA, MS Finance, PhD)

Economics

Operations

Consulting

Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student

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Career Path of a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho LLC

Richard's career path began with an unexpected pivot after graduation during the recession, as a desired organization introduced a requirement that made planned opportunities "evaporated". Richard then moved into finance for a couple of years before transitioning into operations and financial consulting in the automotive industry, which "snowballed" into later work in life sciences and other areas.

Career Path of a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho LLC

Main Responsibilities of a Business Consultant at Lucid Morpho LLC

Richard's responsibilities involve a blend of technical competency and practical application, including rapidly understanding organizations, analyzing problems, and implementing solutions within a "lifecycle consulting" approach, rather than merely delivering reports; ultimately, the responsibility lies in helping clients overcome hurdles "as they face them," prioritizing practical implementation over theoretical optimization.

Main Responsibilities of a Business Consultant at Lucid Morpho LLC

A Day in the Life of a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho LLC

An executive business consultant's day is a journey of partnership, especially with entrepreneurs facing challenges, whether at a startup or a million-dollar company; Richard at Lucid Morpho LLC focuses on building relationships by asking "what's on fire today?" and working through hurdles, from complex technical issues to fundamental business problems, while maintaining the client's initial optimism and reminding them that "this is like a really cool thing."

A Day in the Life of a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho LLC

Most Important Skills For A Business Consultant And Professor At Lucid Morpho LLC

For a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho LLC, the most important skills involve a balance of technical expertise and finely tuned interpersonal abilities, requiring one to "open yourself up and be vulnerable" in order to deeply listen to clients, even picking up on nonverbal cues like "hearing that moth wing" to understand their evolving needs. Ultimately, maintaining relationships is key, as people accept change and adjust at different levels.

Most Important Skills For A Business Consultant And Professor At Lucid Morpho LLC

Favorite Parts Of Being A Consultant And Professor At Lucid Morpho

Richard enjoys the variation in being a Business Consultant and Professor, particularly the opportunity to work with passionate people through their highs and lows, from feeling "lost" to feeling like "they've conquered the mountain". Richard finds it rewarding to leverage past experiences, even failures, to help others overcome challenges and build their own success, while acknowledging that access to resources is not equal for everyone.

Favorite Parts Of Being A Consultant And Professor At Lucid Morpho

Biggest Challenges Faced by a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho LLC

Richard's biggest challenge is prioritizing work that is meaningful, drawing on a childhood lesson about procrastination to actively seek clients with "that passion" and excitement for their business ventures. This focus on passion is driven by a desire to make time for teaching and finishing a PhD, rather than taking on every project out of fear of failure.

Biggest Challenges Faced by a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho LLC

Favorite Parts Of Working In Consulting As A Business Consultant And Professor

Richard enjoys the variety and the ability to "pick your pain" in business consulting, finding the challenges worthwhile when "things are moving in the right direction" and he can have a tangible impact. Building value for others, like helping a ballet dancer bring performance art back to her town and create a thriving business, is a particularly rewarding aspect of the work, both from an economic and social perspective.

Favorite Parts Of Working In Consulting As A Business Consultant And Professor

What Type of Person Thrives in Their Career According to a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho LLC

Richard from Lucid Morpho LLC emphasizes the importance of being receptive to feedback and seeking mentorship early in one's career, likening the experience to starting in a "canoe" and gradually growing into larger "boats" with experience; moreover, Richard underscores the need to "find the good" and celebrate milestones along the way, while being open to collaboration and learning from both positive and negative examples encountered in the field.

What Type of Person Thrives in Their Career According to a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho LLC

What A Business Consultant And Professor At Lucid Morpho Wishes They Knew Before Entering The Business Consulting Industry

Richard wishes someone had told them that in the business consulting role, it's "okay to be a little bummed out sometimes" and that it's important to acknowledge and feel the negative experiences because choosing to feel allows for continued growth and prevents becoming a "granite wall that's impenetrable". Ultimately, feeling the lows makes the highs so much better and facilitates the search for a "bigger boat" and new challenges.

What A Business Consultant And Professor At Lucid Morpho Wishes They Knew Before Entering The Business Consulting Industry

Entry-Level Positions For Aspiring Business Consultants And Professors

Richard suggests that entry-level candidates consider opportunities at large companies, medium-sized companies, or small scrappy firms, emphasizing that while big companies offer "high salaries and good benefits right away," smaller firms might provide more hands-on client experience. He ultimately recommends actively networking with a diverse range of professionals, even outside one's specific field of interest, to gain insights, build momentum, and discover unforeseen opportunities.

Entry-Level Positions For Aspiring Business Consultants And Professors

Significant Career Lesson From a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho

Richard's significant career lesson is recognizing that "acute moments feel much more significant than they really are," emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between the intensity of a feeling and its actual impact to avoid overreacting, while also being aware that sometimes seemingly small events can have big consequences. Moreover, Richard stresses self-forgiveness and resilience, believing that there are "multiple shots" at success depending on one's willingness to try again each day.

Significant Career Lesson From a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho

College Experiences That Helped a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho Succeed

Richard believes that the most important thing college students can do to set themselves up for success is to appreciate "our resiliency and whatever challenges you're facing," since unexpected hardships like graduation during a recession or career path closures are difficult to avoid, but ultimately strengthen you and enable you to rebound; however, Richard regrets not walking at graduation due to burnout. Richard encourages all college students to remember that "we're very strong creatures," and to always give yourself credit for the natural ability to persevere and rebound.

College Experiences That Helped a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho Succeed

Advizer Personal Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardclarke86/