Locked and Hopeful

~ by Randy Wagner

Three Things Every Consultant Needs to Deliver Value

Consulting is an interesting mix of traits. On one hand, you need to have a decent bag of tricks but on the other, you may just need enough courage to fake it until you make it — with a ton of hard work filling the cracks.  It’s usually a bit of all three and it’s up to us to deliver value no matter how that scale tips.

Your Existing Skills and Experience Only Go So Far

I have been exceptionally fortunate to work with CastleBay on many projects that provide a wealth of experience to tap into. There have been different lines of business, different technical skills, new systems, and plenty of client handling opportunities to grow my tool kit. When I’m faced with a new challenge, I can dip into the bag to see what can be applied.  But, if you stay stagnant, it will only get you so far.

It Takes Courage to Work Outside Your Comfort Zone

Often, there is something new that requires a larger stretch than might otherwise be comfortable.  For that, it’s time to dip into the courage well. Is it possible there’s a far more experienced person out there who could do the task better and faster than me? Sure. But no one starts out with knowledge and experience. You have to earn your spurs, as they say. Better to just think the challenge through, consume as many articles, watch relevant YouTube videos, and other fonts of knowledge as possible, and then move on to the third piece that cements it all together.

Hard Work and Preparation Pay Dividends for Your Credibility with Clients

Hard work makes up for a lot of missing skills and augments your courage. Even when you don’t show up at the meeting with all the right knowledge, having put in the effort to understand the topic is often enough to make sense of the discussions so you can ask smart questions and take good notes. There are times you can wing it but it’s far better to be as prepared as you can. Effort pays a lot of dividends, with one of the most important being credibility. When a client knows from previous experience with you that you will get up to speed, work hard, and deliver value, they are much more willing to work with you as you find your footing and might not even notice.

Experience is Beneficial Whether You Fail or Succeed

There’s a lot less of the “fake it” when you can draw from your skill sets and put the work in so you can be as ready as possible. Sometimes the difference between failure and success is just showing up. Work at it, and, in the end, you’ll have experience to draw on no matter how it turns out. You never know when the next thing you attempt will turn out to be something you are great at.

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Randy Wagner is Director of Quality Assurance for CastleBay Companies. He has 20 years of consulting experience across private and public sectors, Guidewire InsuranceSuite, InsuranceNow, and Duck Creek, with specializations in quality assurance, project management, configuration management, and automation.