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Love them or hate them, you can’t ignore them. We are all consultants/contractors because our employment can be terminated at any time. There are some legal nuances about being a full time employee versus a consultant/contractor/vendor, otherwise, for each individual, it really comes down to what terms of employment you find convenient as a provider of services.

If you can’t ignore them, why this visceral dislike of consultants/contractors/vendors by some people? First and foremost, it is an expectation that the consultant/contractor is an “expert” who will solve your problem fully and completely. This is a fallacy. At no time can you as a client give up accountability or place your destiny in another person’s hands.

A second reason is that consultants often portray themselves as “experts.” Such people are exposed very quickly and they give their entire profession a bad name. The foot in the door approach to client acquisition is perhaps the worst way to exploit a shortage of talent.

A third reason is that consultants behave in an aloof or hands-off manner. They don’t tie their success to the success of the client. That is too risky and invites lawsuits. The best consultants are those who let the contract or Statement of Work give them the legal defense, but when they are in a client engagement, they send a clear signal, “Unless you are successful, I am not successful. In fact, if you are not successful, I am walking out of here, because you are wasting my time.”

Consultants who are in the moment and fully committed will be adored by their clients.

The so-called “Full Time Employee” or FTE is also a consultant/contractor/vendor. The steady paycheck and benefits merely distractions to hide the fact that FTEs are hired to keep costs down. There is no permanence in the employment. If this is true, the above applies to them as well.

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This is a line spoken in some movies and TV series. It is a line heard in almost every workplace. When this thought enters my mind, the words of the Buddha ring true:

“Should a seeker not find
a companion who is better or equal,
let one resolutely pursue a solitary course;
there is no fellowship with the fool.”

Unfortunately, life is not that simple. You can’t abandon or ignore your “stupid” co-workers like turning off a switch. You have to put up with co-workers who do things you consider “stupid.” Even you will do things that you consider “stupid” and now you have to put up with yourself. Besides, your co-workers are putting up with you are they not?

If you can truly suspend judgment, you can take advantage of  inefficiencies and weaknesses, and make a valuable contribution. If you can’t, you will find yourself a new job, but you will take this gaping hole in your leadership capabilities with you.

Life is short, so don’t wait too long to decide whether you will work on your weaknesses in your current job or in a different job.

You can never be perfect, maybe it makes sense for you join a team where you will be a better fit. In this is the better option, working on your weaknesses in your current job is probably a waste of time.