The work world has steadily become a world of free agents.
I haven't read Dan Pink's Free Agent Nation yet-- but I think I get the gist.
More people are becoming independents because of the autonomy and control they have over their lives.
Everyone is now "John Doe Consulting."
Everyone is now a consultant, adviser, partner.
What does that mean if you are trying to build an effective team to deliver a quality product?
Unless you are of the mindset that you are, in fact, building a team, you'll end up with a band of misfits that don't function well together. The reason is that you believe that everyone is a professional.
That's all well and good when you are talking about the top 10-15% of consulting professionals, or any profession for that matter. But as you get into the bottom 50%, things get a bit squirrely and definitely more diluted.
Your vision of the '92 Dream Team can quickly turn into a reality of the Bad News Bears without the right management mindset in place.
If you are in a situation where you have to build a team with a bunch of contractors and consultants from multiple companies, do it the right way and fill the positions based on what makes sense.
Don't fill to the title. Fill to what you need delivered.
Don't bring in someone senior to do junior level type of work. It will suck.
And don't assume that a person's past experience will dictate how they will succeed in your environment. Nothing is ever a guarantee.
I haven't read Dan Pink's Free Agent Nation yet-- but I think I get the gist.
More people are becoming independents because of the autonomy and control they have over their lives.
Everyone is now "John Doe Consulting."
Everyone is now a consultant, adviser, partner.
What does that mean if you are trying to build an effective team to deliver a quality product?
Unless you are of the mindset that you are, in fact, building a team, you'll end up with a band of misfits that don't function well together. The reason is that you believe that everyone is a professional.
That's all well and good when you are talking about the top 10-15% of consulting professionals, or any profession for that matter. But as you get into the bottom 50%, things get a bit squirrely and definitely more diluted.
Your vision of the '92 Dream Team can quickly turn into a reality of the Bad News Bears without the right management mindset in place.
If you are in a situation where you have to build a team with a bunch of contractors and consultants from multiple companies, do it the right way and fill the positions based on what makes sense.
Don't fill to the title. Fill to what you need delivered.
Don't bring in someone senior to do junior level type of work. It will suck.
And don't assume that a person's past experience will dictate how they will succeed in your environment. Nothing is ever a guarantee.
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