Each quarter I post a review of a leadership/motivational book I recommend to colleagues and friends. Some may be old favorites, others are hot off the press. I am always open to suggestions for books to review. If you have a favorite you'd like to share with others, please contact me.

Being busy can be bad for business. Independent consulting is a balancing act, and as the books closed on 2002 (a challenging year in itself), many consultants found themselves looking at stretches of empty days on their 2003 calendar. An invisible, but powerful business pairing was making itself known--the critical balance between “doing the work” and “priming the pump.”

For those of us who launched businesses in the booming 1990’s, this economic slow-down is a new experience. Do consultants “walk the talk?” Do they follow the advice so often given to clients when client business slows? In other words, do consultants and small business owners use the time to market more intensely? Do they prepare themselves and their employees for the future by pursuing personal and professional development?

Assess Yourself and Your Business
“When I’m with clients week after week, I lose a sense of what’s happening with the business,” said Virginia McLaughlin of Delta Concepts in Naperville, Illinois. “I use the quiet times to re-organize. Where do I want to take the business in the future? What do I need to get there?”

Stepping back and re-assessing self and business plans was a common theme. Am I still excited by what I am doing? Do I have the kind of life balance I desire? Is my business plan current and am I on track with it?

As part of my self and business assessment, I decided to engage a coach. Being a coach, I’ve seen the leaps that can be made with a well-placed question, the blind spots discovered through the observations of someone outside the situation. Being coached was an altering experience. I came to business decisions I’m convinced I would have avoided had I not been challenged by insightful questions and given encouragement to explore my obstacles and options.

I re-connected with business ideas and personal goals ...back-burnered by priorities driven by client needs. I am committed now to make room for these personal and professional goals. In the long run, they will make me more effective as a consultant and coach. Finally, an unexpected result of being coached is a new perspective on the coaching side of my practice. I better understand the importance of centered reflection and “homework.”

Network
When I began my consulting practice in 1996, I smugly admitted “the marketing thing” was my toughest challenge. Did I let it slip between the cracks as I became busier with clients? You bet. For five years, referrals and word of mouth filled my plate. I occasionally made the odd cold call (with a strong cup of coffee and some frozen M&M’s within easy reach), but when I got tired of talking to voice mail, I didn’t panic. “Trust the process. Something will come along,” I’d say. And it always did--until 2002 year when downsizing dangerously thinned my Rolodex.

Robert Klein, President of Crest Training in Northbrook, Illinois says, “You have to get back to the basics--build a strong network. The stronger your network, the faster you can identify opportunities and be identified as a resource. Develop relationships that offer reciprocal value for those companies that are your best fit.”

I decided to focus on organizations where a variety of companies would be represented. National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) is an incredible organization. Networking at a NAWBO meeting is like finding myself in a microcosm of American business. From NAWBO, I learned of “lead groups,” and made contact with many owners of small to medium sized businesses who were looking for resources to help them more effectively work with employees during times of growth and change.

A Marketing Plan
Increasing my networking activities made me realize my nemesis, marketing, was critical. In sluggish economic times, companies focused on short-term goals cut back on marketing and employee development (“We don’t have the budget!”). While the principal of JWillin Consulting, Ltd. (me) gave careful attention to and budgeted for professional development, I had no marketing plan or website.

A marketing plan consists of the articulation of your business goals, a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats), and strategies to get the word out so that your business goals can be met. If you hire someone to write a plan for you, you want a marketing consultant who knows the business you’re in and who will spend ample time learning what you want to do with your slice of the field. The consultants I worked with interviewed me extensively, reviewed some of my past work, and acquired information on my competitors.

The resulting marketing plan gave clarity and focus to the three distinct, yet related “buckets” of my services. With this focus, my marketing materials can be re-positioned for more effective communication to various audiences. Worth it? You bet.

Already I hear and feel an increased effectiveness and professionalism in how I communicate about my business and services. I am actively getting the word out in ways I never imagined six months ago. Fired up? Confident? YES! Ready for the economic recovery? You bet. I am laying the ground work as you read this--writing more articles for publication is one of my chosen strategies. My web-site has been up and working for me since January, 2002.

Professional Development
“Professional development” was the most common response I received when I asked consultants what they focused on during slow times. Employees within organizations often have opportunities (whether they want them or not) to participate in workshops, seminars, or simulations which introduce them to the latest in technology, methodology, or techniques of their trade.

Professional development is part of a three legged stool (along with client work and marketing) for independent consultants. The cost, in terms of time away from billable client days and actual tuition, is often a formidable obstacle to overcome. But, like marketing, it is a must-do if you plan to stay competitive and be the best resource for your clients.

What is happening in the research world of your field? Are there software up-grades that would make administrative life easier? “It’s critical to keep your skills sharp, and to at least be aware of the technology your client may have read about in a professional journal,” advises Janet Knupp of Knupp Partners in Bartlett, Illinois.

Professional development doesn’t always mean a workshop costing hundreds of dollars. Linda Katz, a consultant based in New York City, wrote, “I spend time in libraries and book stores poring through magazines of all kinds and perusing the newest leadership and management books looking for new ideas, thoughts and trends.”

In conclusion, what have these slow economic times brought? The opportunity to reflect, reconnect, and recharge--through assessment of self and business direction, networking, marketing, and professional development. All strategic activities for renewed and continuing consulting and small business success.

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