As a consultant, I really want to do everything I can to help my customers. Except that sometimes certain aspects of the problem or solution go beyond my field of expertise. I believe it’s important to identify my limits, to express them, and work diligently with partners in identifying the skills needed to offer a seamless experience to my customer.
Working together intelligently to offer my customers all-round support
For example, in my job as an organisational consultant, it sometimes happens that several issues are compounded.
Let’s take the case of a family business I worked with recently: when you work as a family (or with close friends), professional relationships are also personal relationships, and there are multiple parameters that come into play and get mixed up. There were no clear boundaries and emotions came into play blurring the lines of an otherwise simple business decision. When things took a turn for the worse, I needed to help them seek legal advice.
Whilst the lawyer provided the legal expertise to keep the company safe, I supported them through the emotional turmoil:
- identifying what the company, but also the family, needed to function properly.
- helping them to name what was unspoken.
So yes, I am a consultant and I work alone. But when the need arises, I surround myself with other professionals I trust, to go beyond my area of expertise and offer complementary skills to my client.
The importance of seeking outside help for organisations
In the same way, a manager or director may find it difficult to look for an outside consultant. Experience in the field over the years has shown me that this is more difficult depending on the country or culture. In Anglo-Saxon countries, this is already more natural than in France, for example.
Seeking help from outside can be perceived as questioning our skills. One of the most widespread beliefs is that, as a manager, you have to be good at everything.
Except (spoiler alert): you can’t be good at everything.
And it’s precisely the mark of a good leader and an effective person to recognise where their skills end and rely on additional expertise.
Calling upon a consultant like me isn’t a cost, it’s saving you time and money. So, how can I help you save effort and generate opportunity? Use your time wisely, call me for a chat!
és à aller chercher de l’aide à l’extérieur, par ego, bien sûr, mais aussi parce qu’on peut vouloir à tout prix tout maitriser de A à Z.