---
title: I don’t want your job
teaser: 'It''s arrogant to assume you can waltz into a client engagement and fix everything
  just because you''re good at computers.

  '
tags: consulting,playbook,teams
author: Eric Bailey
published_on: 2020-07-21
---

I’ve been a consultant for a little over 5 years now. It’s been a challenging,
yet rewarding career path. One thing I run into with some frequency is being
perceived as “[the Bobs][bobs],” people brought in by management to identify
so-called redundancies. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

I get a lot of bittersweet satisfaction leaving a client engagement equipping
the people I work with to move forward in a positive direction. One of the best
ways to enable this is to approach new clients with a sense of humility and a
willingness to listen.

It’s arrogant to assume you can waltz into a client engagement and fix
everything just because you’re good at computers. Oftentimes these situations
are incredibly nuanced problems that the organization—or department within an
organization—has been struggling with for some time. Many times these problems
are indicative of a larger, more cross-departmental issue the organization
faces.

[Our playbook][playbook] contains a lot of hard-earned wisdom, but it isn’t
dogmatic. We have a sense for what usually works based on our experience, but
the trick is to adapt our principles to your unique circumstance.

A hallmark of a bad consultancy is one that fosters a static culture of learned
helplessness. This is by design, with their consultants inserting themselves as
semipermanent employees who don’t help equip the company that hired them to
succeed.

I don’t want to be that kind of consultant. I’d like to get to know your team
and their struggles, then leave having helped them find effective, sustainable
solutions. I’d love to them come back and help you tackle new and exciting
problems, just on your terms.

[bobs]: https://youtu.be/RkmuI5W694o
[playbook]: https://thoughtbot.com/playbook