Jul 29, 2008 | blog
One of the problems of contract work as opposed to consulting is the length of time that a person spends at one assignment. Sure, it’s nice to have a steady, billable gig for a time, but it brings its own unique challenges. One of these challenges is that team members in the organization, even management, seem to forget that you’re just a temporary troubleshooter.
The implications from this are that they start building plans or structure around you and not the role you’re filling. Many folks simply forget that you’re here to fulfill a specific need, run a single project, or fix a unique system that is outside the scope or abilities of the existing staff. It’s bothersome when people start talking as if you’ll be there “next year” or when managers start implying that they need to make sure to “keep you around”.
Like many, I’m flattered by those sentiments and sometimes think it may not be too bad to go back to the corporate gig with a desk & phone and a guaranteed payday every week. However, there are too many aspects of the independent consultant that are appealing to really let that happen.
While the risk of uncertain pay schedules is the biggest issue, the benefits of bringing your workspace with you every day are too many to ignore. You are your own boss. You ultimately control your schedule. You determine your pay rate. You are responsible for your personal evaluation. You decide how the profits are spent.
The net result of being an independent consultant is that you gain control over these things – even in a longer contract, these items are still under your purview. Giving up that control and “working for the man” is the part for many consultants that is simply unacceptable. The feeling that long-term contracts adds is a mix of the consulting/employee feeling, even though you have control, the longer you are sitting somewhere, the longer people think you belong there – or to them in some way.
That’s one of the aspects of contract work that bothers me – the expectation in many areas by the team members you work with that you either should be hired on, or ultimately will be. Only for them to be disappointed when it doesn’t happen. For me, I’m content to simply be a great consultant that helps clients achieve their goals.
Jul 29, 2008 | blog
One of the problems of contract work as opposed to consulting is the length of time that a person spends at one assignment. Sure, it’s nice to have a steady, billable gig for a time, but it brings its own unique challenges. One of these challenges is that team members in the organization, even management, seem to forget that you’re just a temporary troubleshooter.
The implications from this are that they start building plans or structure around you and not the role you’re filling. Many folks simply forget that you’re here to fulfill a specific need, run a single project, or fix a unique system that is outside the scope or abilities of the existing staff. It’s bothersome when people start talking as if you’ll be there “next year” or when managers start implying that they need to make sure to “keep you around”.
Like many, I’m flattered by those sentiments and sometimes think it may not be too bad to go back to the corporate gig with a desk & phone and a guaranteed payday every week. However, there are too many aspects of the independent consultant that are appealing to really let that happen.
While the risk of uncertain pay schedules is the biggest issue, the benefits of bringing your workspace with you every day are too many to ignore. You are your own boss. You ultimately control your schedule. You determine your pay rate. You are responsible for your personal evaluation. You decide how the profits are spent.
The net result of being an independent consultant is that you gain control over these things – even in a longer contract, these items are still under your purview. Giving up that control and “working for the man” is the part for many consultants that is simply unacceptable. The feeling that long-term contracts adds is a mix of the consulting/employee feeling, even though you have control, the longer you are sitting somewhere, the longer people think you belong there – or to them in some way.
That’s one of the aspects of contract work that bothers me – the expectation in many areas by the team members you work with that you either should be hired on, or ultimately will be. Only for them to be disappointed when it doesn’t happen. For me, I’m content to simply be a great consultant that helps clients achieve their goals.
Jun 2, 2008 | blog
It’s been awhile since I’ve written a post on corporate blogging, and I thought it was high time to continue what I think may become a series. The needs of many companies are little different than the needs of an individual. However, the process in which most should approach blogging is as unique as the organizations themselves.
For the most part, it’s like most other business decisions. Decide what the purpose is and what the organization expects to achieve by doing it. Many businesses are not ready to use social media on external facing systems to engage customers. Some are almost ready to use it for internal continuous improvement processes that engage their employees. Both these models require that the organization accept negative feedback along with the praise, and that is a very bitter pill to swallow for anyone – businesses or individuals.
If you are an agent of change in your organization and are trying to figure out how to approach the business with a blogging or social media proposition, you need to understand how to present the idea. It’s not unlike trying to sell a new business strategy.
Here are a few tips on preparing to present blogging or other social media ideas to your company:
- Learn about social media by participating personally
- Research similar companies in size and target market to see how they’ve used social tools
- With these learning’s in mind, determine if it’s the right time for your company to invest in social media. Is the climate right, are they receptive to new ideas, are they looking to improve service?
- Identify areas, or even departments, within your company that could benefit by using select social media tools. Be specific about the benefits. Understand the negatives.
- Write a simple overview to capture these things and provide a structure for you to build a case for using social media to augment the business.
- Have samples ready to demonstrate, and be able to talk about how these new tools and ideas help solve real business problems.
There are many ways to pursue social technologies for your company, and many tools, services, and software to choose from. What works for one company, doesn’t always work for the next. Keep looking for the right fit, not necessarily the biggest, or most well known of them are best for your business.
What successes have you had in bringing social media to your company? Does your company actively engage in the social media space? What can you recommend to others who are exploring these tools for their company?
Photo credit: juhansosin
