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Published: Friday, 12 March 2021 12:10
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Written by Gail Vallance Barrington
Get your work boots on and answer your biggest questions:
- •How do I get started?
- •What kind of business skills do I need?
- •Will there be enough work?
- •Can I afford to do this?
Join Gail, an independent consultant with more than 30 years experience, for this two-part in-line workshop.
Monday May 3 & Tuesday May 4, 15:00 to 18:30 EST, at the Canadian Evaluation Society’s C2021 workshops.
Workshop registration is reserved to conference registrants until a couple of weeks before the conference (if there are still seats available then) so register to the conference now!
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Published: Tuesday, 03 September 2019 12:40
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Written by Gail Vallance Barrington
#10 in Our Continuing Series on Consulting After 50
You know you want to go into consulting—you’ve been thinking about it for years. Creativity guru Julia Cameron tells us to cast our dreams ahead of us, and as we move towards them, they will take on substance. But to do this, we need a plan.
Business planner Arnab Ray says there are no shortcuts to success. The entrepreneurial journey is extremely difficult and challenging but if pursued with a plan, it enhances your chances of success. He has developed a roadmap for entrepreneurs that can help the would-be consultant move out of inertia and into action. Here are the four steps.
- Conceptualization
You have already proven your experience in the trenches, and this lets you to bring tremendous credibility to the table (Collamer, 2013). Refine that vision of yourself. Relive the major successes of your career and reflect as follows:
- Which projects gained the most traction with bosses and co-workers?
- What innovative designs did you develop?
- What cutting edge, or newly polished, methods did you use?
- What feedback did you receive?
- What parts were you the most passionate about?
- Can you see any commonalities across these projects?
Together, these high points in your career crystalize the dream that lies before you. It describes the consultant you can become.
Read more: Your Consulting Roadmap: Planning for Success
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Published: Monday, 01 April 2019 14:03
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Written by Gail Vallance Barrington
Another in Our Continuing Series on Consulting After 50
I recently met a young woman who is writing her first novel while sitting on the sofa babysitting her nephew who was watching TV. I have news for her—she is losing out on two fronts. She isn’t multi-tasking the way she thinks because her brain is bouncing back and forth from her laptop to the TV to her nephew. In fact, multi-tasking, especially involving different forms of media, results in decreased cognitive control and more socio-emotional difficulties. Secondly, similar to an open-plan office, her busy family room is reducing her productivity and negatively affecting her memory. Open-plan offices make people sick, hostile, unmotivated, and insecure, according to Susan Cain, champion of introverts.
What Consultants Say
Several of the consultants over 50 that I interviewed made their home office a priority. Bob Lahey had a plan in mind and when he and his wife downsized to a condo, he said, Okay, I want an office, a real office, and a place that is comfortable. Gesturing to the large sunny window behind him, he continued, [It] is actually a great area to work in and I really enjoy it.
Martha Brown also gave it a lot of thought:
Where are you actually going to do your work? And how can you set that up so that you can focus and be as effective as you need to? ...I remodeled my home office last year and created this incredible, beautiful workspace and am surrounded by my hummingbirds, beautiful colors, and openness.
Read more: Your Home Office: Sanctuary At Last
