When somebody asks you if you are happy doing what you are doing what do you say? If you are anything like me, you probably tell them that you love it. I get to advise the leaders of industry, I am at the heart of change, and I can see the world revolve from where I sit. Along with that people pay me well and I get to travel around the world at other people’s expense.
Fantastic job, what I always wanted to do when I was growing up in the remote Australian Outback. Yes, sounds great doesn’t it, well be careful what you wish for.
Consulting is a great managerial discipline to be working in, and it does have all of the advantages above, as well as a few others. However, it also has a great deal of sacrifice, hard work, and strain associated with it.
I travel a lot; in fact, I have traveled just about every week this year away from my family. I get to see my two small kids every weekend (sort of like prison really) and the strain of raising our family has fallen squarely on the shoulders of my wife.
Like you, I work long hours. 8-hour days exist only in my distant memory. During the day, I am often client facing, and in the evenings, I have to catch up with everything else we are supposed to be dealing with, for all the other clients, the prospects and our own internal processes.
Then there is the continual self-promotion and networking activities. If you are a consultant, you need to be doing this sort of thing. Alan Weiss recommends a book, or a product of some sort, every year. Why? Credibility, notoriety,, being recognized as an obvious expert within your field, and to create gravity towards you in the marketplace.
The networking for me is a lot of fun. I have been doing this my entire career now so it is more of a hobby than a duty. Nevertheless, it is still there, meet, connect, share experiences, and find common ground, drive opportunities their way, etc, all part of the great game of building a network.
Does that sound like fun? Sometimes, at other times it is just a string of empty hotel rooms with my life on the end of a cell phone.
Jack Welch, put it clearly in his book titled “Winning”. Very few people in the world actually get to have it all. The Life/Balance thing is wonderful for consultants to talk to others about, but in reality, it does not exist. Either you can choose to be on the fast track, or you choose to be on the slow track.
That is the balance – you get to choose. Spend all the time with your family that you want to, and make sacrifices relating to your career. Alternatively, spend most of your time promoting your career or your business, with the sacrifice being on the side of the family.
Consultants don’t often get to choose this really. Our lives are ones of continually striving to keep clients happy, continually trying to justify the size of the fees that are paid, continually looking for the next purchase order – and so on.
For me right now, it is okay. I like it, I really like it actually, I miss my kids, but I have chosen things to be like this so that later I can spend all the time I need to with my wife and my kids.
The day I don’t want to do this anymore, then I need to find a way to make the work come to me rather than travel all over the world going to the work.
