Yup, I think everyone of us has probably stuck something up our nose (or in our ear) as a young child. And, invariably, that would lead to a trip to the doctor, if not the emergency room.
Now, here’s the thing … Whereas doing something like that is par for the course when you’re a kid, it’s not so good when you do that as an adult.
Of course, that’s not something we’ve all haven’t done before either. I guess it’s just human nature. Tell people they’re not supposed to do something, give ‘em great reasons why not … and just watch as they do it anyway, almost as if they couldn’t help themselves.
What does this all have to do with consulting? Well, a ton, actually. In fact, I don’t know what it is, but it happens all the time. Maybe clients want to show they still have some independence. Maybe they were surprised that what the consultant came up with was something other than just accolades. Maybe they just hired the consultant for optics. Maybe they just don’t get this “user thing.”
And this isn’t just a consulting thing either. I’ve been on staff most of my career, and still see it all the time.
There is one benefit to being on staff though. And that means that I get to say something along the lines of, “Remember what happened the last time when you put a bean up your nose?” You know, the good ol' I-told-you-so.
Does that always work? Unfortunately, and I hate to admit this, but, in a word, um, er … no. So, just remember, like Jared says ...
