Developing Your Consulting Power

Have you ever considered the origin of the phrase “rule of thumb”?

Legend has it that it comes from an ancient law that limited the thickness of a stick with which men were allowed to beat their wives.

In the world of consulting, although without the use of sticks, consultants often try to get their ways by exerting force upon their clients, and in doing so, they very often ruin their relationships.

But if, instead of force, they used power, consultants could be much more helpful to their clients without coming across like elephants in the china shop.

But the problem is that many people look at the word “power” as a negative word.

One reason for that is that we’ve been taught that the word power is related to the state, as in “state power”, and only the state has the right to use power.

After having read Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins, I’ve learnt that while force is something we use on others, mainly in the form of violence to oppress them, power is something we use, first and foremost, on ourselves to express ourselves. And in this sense, power refers to a set of character traits.

In summary... Force is all about male energy, and rules and regulations inflicted on people by authority figures. Power is all about female energy, ability to attract, magnetise and inspire people.

And while both force and power can be associated with controlling people and misusing one's position, power also means the ability to enable, empower and influence people to take action in their own best interest. And this is what we discuss in this month's brain-fryingly exciting episode of Commando Consulting, entitled, Developing Your Consulting Power.

Enjoy!