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Editor's Note: This post was originally published in May 2015 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

What do you think of when you hear the word consultant? The value of a consultant is not the first thing that pops in heads of many. They think, instead, of promises made but never kept, money spent but never utilized, and plans created but never implemented. Clearly, consultants are doing something wrong.

Business Development Bank of Canada wrote an article entitled "The Five Do’s and Five Don’ts of Successful Businesses.” This article says, “Compared with their counterparts, the most successful businesses were far more likely to report that they had thought carefully about where they want to go, devised a plan, and actively monitored their progress.”

Combine this with other statements in the article, including:

Non-profit organizations help us address many of the world’s greatest challenges, tackling issues like poverty, disease, the environment, and human rights. With such important issues being dealt with, why is it that the leadership and management of these non-profit organizations don’t seem to focus on effective stewardship, productivity, and operational excellence? Why is it that they don’t focus on creating a culture of performance excellence and using technology to improve their operations?

We have all seen how a lack of accountability in business or in your personal life results in less than desirable outcomes. One of our greatest challenges is being able to stand back and evaluate ourselves.

The recipe for success in any economy is basic business fundamentals:

There are two major requirements for growth and success as a company – profitable customers and happy customers.

All projects, let alone management accounting projects, fail when they do not achieve the following keys to success:

• On time delivery
• On or under budget
• Include all aspects as promised

Project management surveys show that only a handful of projects ever accomplish all three. Most projects are implemented and fail one or more of these criteria, and shockingly a large number are completely canceled due to failures.  

“This is the foundation of success nine times out of ten – having confidence in yourself and applying yourself with all your might to your work.”

This and thousands more quotes are found in Dale Carnegie’s Scrapbook, which I was awarded while taking the Dale Carnegie Sales Advantage Course.