What if the most important metrics in your consulting business are the ones you are not tracking?

In this episode, John Quirk joins The Consultant’s Way Podcast to challenge how leaders measure success in professional services. After thirty years leading consulting organizations and launching his own firm, ProServe Metrics, John argues that traditional KPIs like utilization and average bill rate tell you what already happened but reveal nothing about what will.

He introduces a new way of thinking about performance that focuses on leading indicators, team dynamics, and the people behind every project. John shares how understanding personality and strength profiles, building complementary teams, and measuring early signals of success can transform both delivery quality and employee retention.

The conversation moves beyond theory. John, Dean, and Anthony dive into practical examples of how to identify your firm’s “Moneyball metrics”—those overlooked numbers that predict client satisfaction, team health, and sustainable growth. They also explore why so many firms lose their edge when they scale, how to protect your culture in the process, and what role leadership must play in balancing short-term results with long-term development.

At its core, this episode is about getting more scientific in the people business. Whether you lead a pure-play consulting firm or an embedded professional services team, John’s approach shows how better data and human insight can coexist to make consulting organizations stronger and more resilient.

It is a conversation filled with sharp observations, relatable stories, and practical guidance that will leave you rethinking how you define success and how you build teams that consistently deliver it.