Have you ever stopped to think… what is a consultant?
I’ve been pondering the true definition of this profession myself and according to the dictionary, it is defined as a person who gives professional or expert advice. In fact, there are a ton of how-to websites for one who might consider this practice. For me, a consultant is someone who gives perspective.
And in looking at it this way, I started thinking about the independent contractors that I hire to help keep my company going, and the truth of the matter is I can do everything that I pay them to do. All I’m doing is seeking perspective. Gaining perspective gives you a choice. Having a choice gives you the freedom to reach your full potential.
Is that what being a consultant entails?
I think it pays to have perspective or receive a different point of view. When you really look at it, all of you are my consultants or anyone who comments on a blog can act as a consultant. You’re comment simply validates that particular thought or challenges the blogger to see the topic in a different light. The spring of technology and its access has put all of us in the driver’s seat, and that’s something to be excited about.
Keep the learning going...pass it on!
~Peter
Years ago, Dick Gorelick, printing industry consulting legend, said that "a consultant is a man who knows 100 positions for sex but doesn't know any women."
Somehow that description stuck with me. One of the most common complaints about consultants is that they are in an ivory tower and don't really know what it's like to implement things. A complaint about managers is that they become insulated and have a tough time thinking about anything other than their own company. Consultants should occupy that middle ground: being objective, seeing what works and where, and bringing new ideas into businesses that would not otherwise see them. They also need to have a sense of implementation issues, hence the ideas of consultants, and managers, as coaches.
Posted by: Dr Joe Webb | February 25, 2008 at 03:48 PM