Being a Consultant - Part III
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Being a consultant also means having the means to go out and get more clients. This allows you to accrue even more experience…so that you can become an even better advisor. If you have a client base of one or two, a consultant you are not. You have nothing new to bring to your client’s table. Call yourself a contractor.
You also have to ‘keep your game up’ by staying abreast of developments in your field. It’s not easy. In my mind its part of the tacit agreement you make with your clients. Otherwise, once again, you are a contractor.
And finally – your clients should not be aware of your professional or personal problems. They don’t care (they don’t!). And they shouldn’t. I have gotten divorced, gone through surgeries, and had other family issues. I have never, ever discussed any of this with my clients. It is NOT the relationship they want with you. My unstated rule is to be friendly, but not friends. There is this and there is that.
Over time with some clients there is a professional intimacy that happens. I have this with quite a number of people, and when it happens it is very nice. Usually you have been through a few professional wars together and a closeness develops. But, in my opinion, there should always be a little reserve – similar to being a parent. I have never been friends with my children – their friends are their friends. Your kids want you to be their parent – and your clients want you to be their consultant.