My doctor use to say that every Trini is a doctor. He would laugh at the number of diagnoses I would have arrived at before finally coming to see him to determine what was going on with me. He knew that in addition to asking family and friends, that I had consulted Dr. Google and I was certain that my conclusion was definitive.

Sometimes we can feel as if we know more than we do, especially if we have achieved accolades or public acclaim for our work in the past.

Yesterday I talked about not growing too comfortable with the knowledge you have. We also need to quit thinking that we have answers for everything.

It can be easy to assume that a sign of being a great leader is having all the answers; however, often the opposite is true. No leader knows everything, but great leaders are always willing to learn and grow in their knowledge, and often have ways of finding the answers they need.

YEC Women Council Post – Forbes Magazine March 25, 2022

It’s difficult to admit that we don’t know the answer, or we’re not sure how to achieve a goal, solve a problem or resolve an issue.

Often business leaders bring in consultants to advise in a particular area and perhaps lay out the strategy and actions that need to be taken to improve the situation, solve the problem or resolve a tough issue.

Far too often these leaders assume the role of telling the consultant what to do. I have asked the client when faced with a similar situation, “Why am I here?” Roughly translated as – if you already know the answers, why did you invite me to talk about something you already know?

I am not saying that it’s the consultant’s way or the highway. Of course there is always room for collaboration. There are things in the client organization that only they could tell you about. Leaders can certainly share past experiences, what worked, what didn’t and perhaps why.

I have found, just like in the doctor / patient scenario, that clients tend to focus on and try to resolve symptoms without getting to the root cause of their particular issue.

This is the skill of any good doctor, and as you know they ask tons of questions before they make any recommendations.

Great consultants dig deep until they can surface the real problem before presenting solutions.

If you choose to hire a consultant, you have to remain open-minded. Keep your ego at bay. This is not a contest of minds – of who knows more. This is about wanting to eliminate a problem once and for all, and this only happens if there is mutual respect, room to collaborate, and enough latitude for that consultant to demonstrate her expertise and value.