As an independent consultant, you’ve found your niche, honed your
skills. Now, you’re an expert.
You’ve taken that expertise to
market, and found the people that need you.
My question is: do you then
stop learning? The more you keep fulfilling the same needs, do you begin to
repeat yourself? Do you start to get there a bit easier? Do you become more
comfortable?
Do you then perhaps feel you
stop looking for the new or unexpected? Isn’t your brain saying “you’ve been
over this before”? Is there a risk that you produce less than you could?
What does that do for your
motivation, or sense of worth?
Is there a risk that you feel
like a fraud?
Will someone pull back the
curtain and expose you? How do you stay confident and protect your mental
health? How do you assure yourself you’re doing all you can? How do you keep
looking for new techniques, angles, insights?
For me, it’s a number of
things:
·
networking
(social and real), reading round the topic – keep doing the things that made
you expert
·
with caution
(because you only see their very best selves…) compare the competition. Do you
feel your outputs are as credible? Do you offer the same value?
·
it’s absolutely
about being self-critical, stepping back, ensuring you bring fresh eyes,
finding new ways to review work – I always ask myself “have I touched all the
wet paint?”
·
but it’s also
about asking –sometimes pushing –for feedback, seeing if your client believes
you can go further, inviting criticism
·
it’s using other
experiences too. School governance is constant learning, but I’ve also recently
learnt about football coaching, and how to make beer. It’s keeping a learning mindset
·
I think it’s
important to celebrate too – new work, successful delivery, praise or thanks.
Dancing optional, but it works for me
·
and something I’m
going to start – recording each time I learn and apply something new
I think that’s how you keep
doing your best work, stay strong and know you’re not the fraud your mind would
sometimes have you believe!
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