Welcome to the World of Independence

by Deborah Gill-Hesselgrave

This is the inaugural edition of this column. As time passes, I hope the information I offer in this column consistently serves the information needs of W2 employees, 1099 consultants, and in-betweeners--subcontractors. I believe that the road to professional success and satisfaction is partly dependent on performing as though you are a self-employed consultant regardless of your employment classification, and, however you earn your livelihood, I want to provide you with insights, reflections, and solid facts that you can use to support you in your particular professional situation.

In my workshop, "Is the independent life right for you?", I encourage participants to embrace the notion that self-employment is a state of mind; one that is best held consistently--whether your paychecks come from a variety of employers (called "clients") or from just one, your boss. Upon making that assertion, I have often been met with incredulous looks that appeared to say, "Just how in the world does someone who is a rank-and-file employee manage to act as though they are a consultant?"

Among the many tips to successfully achieving this state of mind the following:

Keep the interests, requirements, and idiosyncrasies of the client (aka "your boss") foremost in your mind.
Tailor your solutions (aka "your assignments") to meet the client's interests, requirements, and idiosyncrasies.
Respectfully challenge your client's assumptions, sacred cows, and business-as-usual attitude.
Never stop giving your best advice (even if it is routinely ignored).
Always remember and never forget: it's not about you; it's about the client.

My clients engage me, as a hired gun, to solve their specific and immediate problems. If they weren't in pain and the pain was not foremost in their minds, they would not take the time nor spend the money to bring me onboard.

For those of you working for a single employer, this means keeping in mind that you, too, were hired to solve specific problems and to eliminate known pain. If you think you are simply a head count, you'll be treated as such. As you are able to perform as a highly sought-after subject-matter expert, you'll find that you will tend to be treated as such.

In subsequent columns I will offer specific suggestions to help you actualize each of the points I've briefly noted. But, as my word count for this month nears, let me offer you this: what do you know about your company's strategic plan or its vision and mission statements? If you're squinching your face and thinking, "uhmmmm . . . not a darned thing," then your first step to achieving a consultant's state of mind is to learn the answers to these questions.

Once you have the answers, conduct a brief compare-and-contrast exercise. Reflect on your current or most recent project assignment, and identify at least three elements of it that support your company's current strategic plan, its vision, and its mission. If you can't cite at least three ways in which your efforts directly support those corporate cornerstones, you may not be asking the right questions as you develop your work products. If this is the case, track down your manager and see what he or she tells you about how your work directly furthers the goals of the company and eliminates its pain.

More next month. In the meantime, if you have questions about being an independent consultant or how to perform as though you are a consultant, email me at dgill@dghenterprise.com. If you'll permit me, I will share your questions and my thoughts in a future column.

Until next issue, take care!