When I was 11 years old a friend took the pains to teach me how to play the accoustic guitar. These were not formal lessons at all really - just one self-taught guitarist taking the time to teach another.
Six months later I was able to play note for note, chord for chord a recent hit by John Denver called, Rocky Mountain High. The thrill of being able to do this was indescribable!
That was over 36 years ago and I have played a hoard of bars, dance halls and I have even had the privilege of opening for named acts in the country music field.
I never took more lessons other than those I was originally taught. Interestingly, I would hear the song, pick out the guitar action and could work it out in a matter of minutes most of the time - and I had another song added to my repertoire.
As the years passed, I lived for the opportunties to play in front of live audiences. To me this was a bit of a paradox to deal with: I loved the feeling and the exerpience, but I dreaded the task of doing it - and naturally so, I think. You see, I never really thought I was all 'that' good. I just loved doing it. Well, as time passed - I played for major acts and around the country and it is still an absolutely joy to pick up the old Takemine or Yamaha and pick some blue grass or folk music. It's a fantastic release to be able to play for other people. Even though I'm twisted up and nervous inside before I start.
One lesson I learned very early on - I think I was 16 and on a train back to Washington DC from school; I played a 12 string in the club car. I was working on a Neil Young hit then and I had it down to a science. But when I'd get in front of people - I'd almost lock up and flubber here or there. What I had to learn is that they - the people - have no real expectation of what is going to come from me - until I begin to play. And so it is, I learned to shut out the noise - the apprehension in my mind that is - and just play because it feels good. The rest came easy - and I have never played a gig that was not rewarding and welcome by the crowd.
Today I am a mild-mannered software developer. In truth, because I have been doing this for so long (over 24 years now), I have come to know more technologies than probably still exist today! (Some pun there.)
I work solely in the Microsoft sector / stack - with the latest server and development technologies available from them. I should preface that I get a lot of experience. I have 9 children, 1 in the oven, 7 still home, over 14 computers around the house, 2 DNS servers, a proxy server, 2 CheckPoint VPN appliances, and much more. Suffice to say, I have more infrastructure and security setup at home than most businesses do. So I have learned quite a lot.
In the field I learn more every day, and no 2 engagements are the same. Most consultants will agree with that - if they're working at the architectural level - as I have done for quite a few years.
Now, what I have not mastered is the same problem I had when performing live music for audiences - the noise - the thoughts, worries, concerns that berate me on every engagement. I constantly find myself thinking, there is surely someone much smarter than I am that can be speaking to this or another issue. Ever felt like that?
What I have also learned is that those noises - if you will - are normal. If you do not experience them - then you have no value to be found in this blog.
The customer, or the Engagement - is your task to speak to. It's never singular - always multi-faceted, and there are 'aways' those that know how to do it better than you do; or so it seems. It will be challenging, or not fun at all (in my opinion), and there is never a cookie-cutter approach that works from one engagement to another - unless you're developing something for some vertical market. But we're talking consulting here - and the making of the Ideal Consultant.
I have learned: ignore the noises and do what you know how to do, to the best of your ability, and keep in mind that the client is the one you are trying to bring value to - not you on some gig where you're getting paid some inordinate amount of money because you think you know something. You either know what you know - or you don't. And if you do not - it is prudent to speak up and say so.
I have learned that the Ideal Consultant is not particularly a rocket scientist - quite the opposite; he/she is an individual that can take on a challenge and speak to it effectively, humbly, and thoroughly - without the noise factor hindering that effort.
The Ideal Consultant is often quite intelligent, sometimes out spoken, but mostly not, and more than anything - thrives for that new challenge because they 'want' to know how to speak to it. It's almost like walking on stage - you really never know what to expect when you show up the first day for work; but what you 'do' will make or break the show - period.
So, what is the Ideal Consultant? That's actually quite simple to answer:
They are knowledgeable in their field
They love new challenges
They dig for answers and results and they effectively solve problems
They harbor no arrogance
Finally, they know that they'll never know it all when it comes to consulting and solutions. There is simply no way - especially in today's fast growing technology environment.
The Ideal Candidate knows there is no such thing as an ideal candidate.
The Engagement is a team effort made up of these personnel; they know what they know very well; they acknowledge that they do not know everything by any stretch; they thrive to learn new things and share that knowledge with their team or some other network. More importantly, they know the Engagement - the scope, objectives, and expectations of the customer. And they 'know' that the customer is the bottom line - period. If there is no value they can bring to the customer in the engagement - then they are not meeting expectations, and they are far from ideal.
I apologize for the ramblings. It's been a long couple months - and I've had the chance to play at a bar in southern Alabama - and meet up with some ideal candidates - and I just wanted to share these ramblings.
MikeH.... Another Geek in Need...