Work or Hobby? Perceptions of an Independent Consultant

Do you have those times when you highly suspect that your friends, acquaintances, and colleagues are taking you (and your time and work) for granted? Do you have those moments when you suspect that they don't take you seriously, that you're just sort of diddling around? Many of us know the story of the emperor's new clothes and how it was from a child's mouth that the truth was finally spoken.

One day a young grandmother and child were having a nice time. The child wanted to play with me and Grandmother told him he could not because I was busy doing my homework. I nodded an enthusiastic agreement. But the child protested, "No she isn't. She's just punching some keys on her computer." Grandmother explained to me that is what the child is doing when he plays with his computer. Therefore to him, I must be doing the same thing. She reiterated, "She is doing her homework." The child listened and respected.

Back to these friends and acquaintances. They're part of the local hot spot scene and are regulars. Before the academic year ended, we all were working on our studies. There were a couple of aberrations wherein a few conversations went on for a little longer than would be expected. But we all have those days when we need to decompress. Those instances were dismissed as such. Usually they were prefaced with a question about availability of time. But those odd moments continued after the end of the academic year, as the summer progressed, and the prefatory question about time got lost. The odd moments were drop-in visits to kill time. Killing time began to develop a life that lasted for up to as much as two hours of shooting the breeze while my "homework" went undone. I was simultaneously being pumped for free career coaching advice.

Interesting thing about that free advice. It has about as much value as is paid for it for those who abuse the privilege of receiving. It was not touted to others as valuable. Instead, it was grabbed at jagged spurts when inertia had lingered too long and proof of some proactive involvement needed to be proved up.

Another form of abuse occurred even more frequently as time progressed. As the words of advice were being pronounced, the end of the sentence would get interrupted as the drop-in visitor spoke to interject their spontaneous thoughts about something unrelated to what was being said. Folks, let's face it. When you interrupt what someone's saying, when you talk over them, you are tacitly saying their words have absolutely no meaning and they should shut up.

Yes, there are those times when you get excited about what's being said and just can't contain your counter to the conversation that's evolving. But when the words that drown out the voice of the speaker are saying something different, there is no conversation happening. It's merely ego looking for a place to be big, to show off its importance. And that indicates there is no respect for the one whose time is being imposed upon.

I'm not the only one who suffers those who feel I'm merely punching a bunch of keys and entertain serial drop-in visitors looking for a place to kill time. Some, like Earl Smith, refer to them as time wasters or predators. Around August or September, Earl posted a question to a professional network asking how others dealt with these types of people. One recommendation was to tell them you're busy and don't have time before they have an opportunity to sit down. If you miss that split second of opportunity, you can tell them to keep it brief as you have a lot to do. Otherwise, you can just tell them it will have to wait until you've finished your project.

The ones who are prone to using up a consultant's time for their amusement can be bullheaded about their obnoxious ways. There was one fellow who, after being told on several occasions that he was interrupting work time, stepped around the table to physically view the computer monitor and discern for himself whether or not there was any work being performed. Please understand, those who may have this proclivity, it is not you who gives permission when you have walked into someone else's work space or made a drop-in visit. The person receiving you has all the cards in their hands as to whether they want the visit and whether they have time to devote to the visit. They also are the ones who determine how much time they have for the interruption. If they say they have none, then the matter is closed. Say, "Great to see you," and "Look forward to seeing you another day," and move on. Don't force yourself on others.

It may look like independent consultants are just punching a bunch of keys and playing. Actually, we're writing reports, blog posts, articles, business plans, proposals. We're doing business. If you have a discrete and focused question about something and you have a definite direction upon which you've fixed and are seeking some guidance, ask if the consultant has time to answer your questions. Then follow through on the answers and do a lot of work on your own initiative to make things happen. In order to be a success, you need to know how to build on your own creativity, research, and initiative.

No, my friends. We independent consultants are not merely punching a bunch of keys on our laptops as we amuse ourselves while waiting to die. We gained exceptional knowledge and expertise in the formal workplace. We became independents because we were not allowed to exploit the openings and opportunities. It took time, tedius effort and research, and repetition to gain the skills and knowledge we have -- skills and knowledge that you still need to earn through exercise. No, my friends. We are not engaged in a hobby. We're working. Respect our time.