On a Dance Floor

I am not a person who enjoys an easy ride. Easy means boring and not creative. Challenging work inspires my core, sending my brain on a roller coaster ride on the Maui's Road to Hana - I enjoy its beauty and yet must carefully plan the route in order to not fall off a cliff.

Perhaps, this attitude was a catalyst to choose a consulting path as I was seduced by its dynamism. Those who see consulting through the glamorous prism are fools. It is hard, yet rewarding work with a twist of all nighters.

Throughout my consulting career in the energy field, I've learned the most while working on the exigent projects. I've learned not only the business specifics, but also the corporate tricks that help achieving better results.

Doing homework prior to the meetings always benefited me at the end. When I enter a boardroom, I take a minute to evaluate my environment and sketch a quick strategy on how to approach each person present. For example, I joined my last engagement when a project team had already been formed, the roles had been established, and the team has been working together for a few months. I was in a rather interesting position - I had to prove myself and at the same time gain respect of my fellow teammates.

During our initial meeting, I let others speak while evaluating the audience. If you carefully listen and watch the body language, in most cases you can determine general characteristics of those present - leaders stand out, pretenders tend to spin, and those who you really should try to impress assertively analyze you.

As the project evolved, the longer I worked with the team, the more I realized how accurate my first impressions were.

Areas to focus on while on a client-facing assignment:

1. Interaction with a client. Make friends. Establish a relationship. Make sure your client/users are on your side.

2. Your own team. Learn from the strongest team members. Do not be intimidated by those who are smarter than you. Take advantage of their knowledge. Identify the leaders and the followers. Develop a plan how to get the most out of each resource.

3. Look for opportunities in those places where others don't see them. Don't take No for an answer. Always try to find an alternative approach that benefits your project while making your clients happy.

I equate a project to a dance - someone leads, someone follows. One step forward, one step backward. And to the side. The point is to always advance instead of stumbling in circles.