With over 30 years under my belt as an independent consultant, I’ve learned much about how to make life work and work come alive. It has been a fun ride with lots of growth, contribution, fun and success. In that sense, I wish everyone could be a consultant. Thank goodness, all are not! But, I have noticed employees who assume the style and manner of a successful independent consultant are the ones that get ahead and have a great time doing it!
Consultants who make it beyond their first few “lean and mean” years get to taste the rewards of freedom, despite have to face the anxiety of “what if I fail?” They acquire a devotion to the rhythm of riding their purpose, unshackled from the slavery of following a conventional schedule. Their initial guilt about not being at the office on Monday morning melts away, replaced by the sheer bliss of working on a client project way past bedtime because they are enamored by the work!
Granted there are liberties that come with a boss-less, policy-free profession not found when one is accountable to a supervisor and governed by organizational rules and regulations. Still, there are features of work life as a consultant that can be embraced by anyone in a work role. When you act as an independent consultant, you act in these five ways:
You act self-employed
You create every day. Your work day is the day you create. No one tells you what to work on. No one cares if you punch in or when. No one cares about the depth of your in-box, the location of your parking space, or the number of meetings you attend. How hard you work is as irrelevant as how effective you are at walking your dog. Only concrete results matter; tireless effort is just the stuff you do to get there.
Employees who work with the same perspective are more successful than those who act as if they are just passengers on some cruise ship transporting them to retirement. Winners act self-employed, assuming complete responsibility for their own destiny; losers hide behind “victim thinking,” looking for a scapegoat for their circumstance. Winners are captains of their status and station in life; losers blame everyone but themselves for everything lacking in their life.
You bring optimism and character to those you serve
Those who are joy carriers thrive for the same reason. You do not inherit spirit, acquire spirit or borrow spirit—you choose spirit much like you choose to introduce yourself to a stranger. Those who opt for an upbeat, positive spirit are happier, healthier, and far more productive.
Successful consultants, like successful employees, understand the politics. But, their energy is expended toward what is substantive, not form; what is real and contributive, not what is ritual and ceremonial. Successful people live the lesson of Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous line: “No one makes you inferior without your permission.”
You focus on results and enjoy being accountable
Playing the blame game does not get you a “get out of jail free” card. Clients are never moved by your hand-ringing excuses nor made more confident by your shifting the focus to the supplier who let you down. Being late signals a lack of commitment, regardless of the reason; being unprepared telegraphs you don’t care about your client, despite the demons you tussled the day before.
Employees who work with a similar results-oriented, ‘git ‘er done attitude are more successful than those who engage in “shake and fake”—passionate interest but without assuming responsibility for substantive performance. Winners show up ready to perform and are only interested in efforts that yield a path to achievement. They cut through bureaucracy with a strong zeal for outcomes.
You are both a doer and a marketer
Consultants don’t just do the work—they also market the work. In fact, consultants who spend their energy on the work itself without regard to making its value know, typically fail. Likewise, those whose spend their energy thinking about image and influence also fail. It takes a balance between delivering value and insuring those who make buying decisions are keenly aware of that value.
People who work for organizations face the same challenge. Too many people who quietly do great works assuming it will ensure their success are sadly surprised when their name ends up on the layoff list rather than the unsung hero list. On the flipside, those who focus solely on the billboard and not the “worktable” meet the same fate.
You are generous and bring a deep commitment to serving others
The soul of service requires caring about the client at a personal level, not just at a professional one. The relationship is more important than the transaction. The wisdom and talent you generously share is more valuable than what you hoard or protect. The humble facilitation of discovery is more powerful than the arrogant delivery of expertise. Clients remember who you are and what you stand for long after they have forgotten what you recommended or where you came from. Success within organizations emanates from the exact same zeal to serve.
Not everyone can be an independent consultant, but those with the greatest influence as well as the highest self-worth are those who act as if they are.
