# An Inherent Problem with Consulting By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-01-17 Consulting has an inherent problem. This inherent problem exists whether the consultant is new to the organization or is a trusted advisor to the executives. No matter how well-developed and comprehensive a given consultation is, the idea presented to the executive is not the executive's idea. The idea will be foreign. This might seem obvious, but there are significant issues with this. Executives presented with new information will have trouble "getting it." If the idea is truly transformational, the executives will ask questions about the old way of thinking. At this point, it is often apparent to the consultant that the executive didn't capture the essence of what was said. Many executives want to do what they want or what is well-established and comfortable. Both are understandable. Executive management is challenging and potentially precarious. It is comforting to play it safe. Consultancy in this space is tedious, if not also pointless. If one is interested in a radical reconceptualization of organizational work, one will not get there by pursuing what is well-established or comfortable. Overcoming this dynamic requires repetition. Again, this is tedious. But if consultants genuinely want to help organizations transform, they will likely need to pitch the idea more than once. They must present the information subtly differently, building executive familiarity with the transformative concept with each iteration. Over time, the executive will view the idea as one's own and become comfortable with it, facilitating its eventual adoption. Consultants who are quick to understand and who crave the excitement of solving new problems can find going through these iterations painfully repetitive. Consultancy benefits from patience as much as it does from brilliance. #### Related Items [[Executives]] [[Consulting]] [[Work]] [[Management]] [[Paradigms]] [[Comfort]]