I joined a networking group last week. Before I left my corporate job a year ago I didn’t even know groups like these exist. In the last 6 months I visited various groups 5 different times and am now a card-carrying member of one (shout out to NIA Eastside!).
One of the first steps after joining was to fill out my profile on the group’s website. It started with easy stuff like website link and email address. Then came long-form questions that are more about who I am as a business owner and how I operate.
The Question That Stumped Me
The first one got me thinking right out of the gate: “Why do you do what you do?” I know my answer, but how to express it in a sentence or two? I have a lot of thoughts, and in general I’m not great at expressing myself exceptionally concisely. This would be a challenge…
I could answer the question by talking about why I started an independent consulting business versus getting a new full-time job, but I think the point of the question is more about my values and how they shape the business I built.
Here’s what I ended up putting in that box: After 20+ years on the corporate treadmill, I’m done fighting the politics of what’s good for me versus what’s good for the business. In my business, I do what’s best for the client, full stop.
What “What Works” Actually Means
So what characterizes how I run my business? It’s in the name: What Works. I do what works; no more, no less. I work with my clients to understand the challenges they’re facing in their business and I figure out what I can do to solve them. I’m honest about what I’m not able to do, or not the best person to do. And in those cases I do my best to refer them to someone I trust who I believe can help where I fall short.
Written out, that sounds sort of obvious. But coming from decades of corporate life, it felt revolutionary when I first wrote it down.
What I Learned Watching the Corporate Game Up Close
For 25 years, I watched people fail up. I saw politics beat merit, again and again, while leaders who should have known better let it happen. Through it all I knew that I simply don’t have it in me to play those games, and that put a damper on my career growth.
It was easy to decide that in my business I would do it right. I’m not interested in creating problems in order to swoop in and be the hero who solves them. I don’t want to over-engineer a solution just to generate more paid work for myself. It’s not in my interest to do anything other than what’s in the best interest of my client.
Counter-corporate? It might be if I was still a corporate employee. As a consultant, it’s what distinguishes me and shows clients of any size that I’ll put their interests first.