Consulting can be really addictive. 🍩
And like all addictive things – the highs can be amazingly high, and the lows can be incredibly crushing. 📉
The consultant I was talking about in the video was a veteran.
And they suffered from a crippling panic attack and could not proceed with the workshop.
Luckily, I had been a BA in a previous life within the Microsoft partner ecosystem, so was able to pick up the reins and run the Discovery myself (not without a few moments of OH FU–! of my own!) 😱
Being a consultant means having to deal with unexpected things.
Sometimes they are a bit smelly 💩 and a bit messy, especially when they hit the rotating blades on the ceiling 😖
Those of us lucky enough to work for a consulting partner who has our back, and who have strong personal networks for support are more likely to be resilient enough to withstand some of the crazy things that happen.
But the key thing is that you recognise what’s happening.
And you ask questions:
– Why is this happening?
– Is there a pattern here?
– Why is the pattern repeating?
– Is it a one-time-thing, a systemic issue, a cultural one, or a less-than-competent-leadership problem at play?
– And once I figure out the answer, what am I going to do about it?
– Should I just push through and hope for the best?
– Or should I take stock and safeguard myself from soul damage that may take years to heal?
It really requires having an honest, raw, and often painful look at what’s happening, and asking really hard questions.
I recall having panic attacks in an empty office cubicle, hyperventilating on the floor, with my phone jammed against my ear as my husband talked me through the debilitating feelings of terror.
Not fun at all. 😟
But I continued on this path because I had such amazing support because without my lovely husband and my wonderful nanny, I’d probably have moved onto a different career years ago.
Consulting is an amazing place to be, but it can also harbour a really dark side.
We just have to be honest about it, and about what we are prepared to accept (or not).
What’s been your experience?
#OnThePeiroll
#DarkSide of Consulting