I have found Eric to be a valuable collaborator.
Hire Yourself as a Consultant
When I was considering starting my own consulting practice, I was nervous about making the jump. An entrepreneur friend asked me the following question: “Would you be willing to advise someone else on how to start their company?” Yes, I answered. Well, he said, if you are willing to advise someone else, hire yourself as a consultant and tell yourself what to do to get this business started.
While it sounds simple, I have found this piece of advice has stuck with me over the years. It is actually a mental trick I use to get some objectivity from the busyness and pressure of my daily work. If I look at my own business the way I look at a client’s business, I can remove myself from the emotions of the moment, identify what success looks like for me right now, and begin to identify the steps I need to take to turn this picture into a reality.
Performance Principle: Get objective about your business by hiring yourself as a consultant. What do you think about the current state of your business? What is working? What could be improved? What is the most important initiative you have right now? What is one project that is a certifiable loser on which you need to pull the plug?
If you look at your business dispassionately, the answers to these and other questions will begin to present themselves to you. And, once you consult with yourself, be a good client and act on your own advice!
Questions to Consider:
- If you were going to advise yourself on a current challenge or opportunity, what would you say?
- What perspective would you provide to yourself?
- What caution would you give?
- What encouragement would you provide?
