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Stop Undermining Your Skills. Stop it!



My voyage into consulting is actually an interesting one. One that lend credence to the title of this piece.

As far as consulting is concerned, I started out joining forces with & helping friends & associates in the field execute their own projects. Some years ago, I recall assisting a friend on a certain HR consulting project she was working on. Though it seemed like a little part of the project, I did my bit & gave it my best shot. My friend did the interfacing with the client.

Whilst on my regular training jobs, I stumbled on an opportunity to take on a HR/Culture Transformation project. The prospect was exciting & fearsome at the same time. Up until that time, I hadn’t single-handedly taken on a consulting job. (So this is the point where you wish you started out with one of the big 5’s right? Lol!) I knew for certain I would require some help. So I followed up with the lead, quickly got through to my friend, super pumped that she’d be glad to jump on the project – I had already assisted her prior right?! Though initially hesitant on account of some pressing commitments, my friend managed to oblige.

Our roles were laid out. We would take the first meeting with the client together, that way I would get a good grasp of what that should be like. We would then move ahead from there. The plan seemed great! I would soon undertake my first ever consulting job! It was exciting!

Some two days to meeting with the client, my friend called in to say she had a job out of town & wouldn’t be able to make the meeting with the client! What?! I was dazed! No. Devastated! I later felt deeply offended when she implied that I could actually take the brief by myself! Really?! Like I’ve done this before right?! But she wouldn’t back off on her position. According to her, watching me coordinate a Think-Tank team at our first ever meeting, she did observe I had stellar questioning skills. Questioning skills?! What is that?! Is that a thing?! I wondered.

However with a dint of introspection & retrospection I came to terms with perhaps my more than average curiosity quotient & having the knack to know the hows, whys & workings of things, people and systems. I would probe until I arrived at a meaningful place.

This revelation represented a light bulb moment for me. Wow! My disposition to probe had a name: “Questioning Skills!’ Lol! So I affirmed – my friend was right. I had great Questioning skills!

I worked myself into a ready frame of mind, determined to bring on my curiosity game; to dig deep to understand what my client’ issues were and then move on from there.

The day of the client meeting finally came & my friend was still out of town. Choi! It was a sink or swim moment for me. Guess what? I had the consultation; conducted it like a pro! I kept popping questions & I just wouldn’t stop! I found myself thinking whaaaaaaat! was I made for this or what?! The client signed me up for the project. He was impressed.

I suppose that some talents are so subtle or undefined that we could miss them! In doing so we forfeit the immense value they can deliver to our progress-and our joy.

For me and with respect to consulting, unraveling real issues via probing is imperative else one ends up proferring ‘solutions’ to non-issues; miss the mark while the real problem remain intact.

So my friend, what more do you have in your skills arsenal? Do you care to dig deeper? You might just hit gold. All the best with your exploration & discovery quests in this brand new decade.

NB: Other complementary consulting skills; Organizing, Presentation and Reporting skills are equally vital for consultants. Let me know if you care to know how I have deployed these in my consulting gigs.

#selfawareness

#equiptrainers

#EQ

#agility

#leadershipagility

#servantleadership

#productivityhacks

#standoutintheworkplace

#qualityservicehacks

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