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FROM MARK
Early in IA’s journey, I said yes to virtually any project that came our way, regardless of fit. And although I can try to retroactively justify the “why,” the reality was that fear played a disproportionate role in my early decision making.
As many of you may be experiencing (out of necessity or design), going out on your own is truly a leap of faith. While you likely have confidence in your skills, experience, and value, you may be questioning whether you’ll become invisible the moment you leave the traditional corporate environment. So you buy a domain and social handles, write your story, network like crazy, and hope that everyone thinks of you the moment Sole Proprietor Inc. opens its doors. Then fear creeps in.
I remember my wife rolling her eyes over those first few weeks when I’d say, more than once, “I think the email server must be down!” Then the networking calls from curious friends and former colleagues started to slow. And over time, the sense of being on an island of my own making became acute.
With the benefit of nearly twenty years of hindsight, it’s easy to romanticize IA’s story, but it’s not true to my lived reality. I compromised so many times because I thought I had to, and it was nearly a year before I consistently gave myself permission to say no for the right reasons.
Declaring what you are and what you stand for is paramount, but perhaps more so is the need to clearly convey your nonstarters. IA’s independence has cost us financially, and we’ve turned down lucrative partnerships with larger consulting firms and HR service providers who saw value in strategic partnerships and bidirectional funnels of revenue. But the words “fiercely independent” are meaningful, and our promise to offer unbiased guidance unbreakable.
Remember that your identity isn’t a limitation, it’s your competitive advantage. The most successful organizations I know aren’t the ones that can do the most things. They’re the ones that have the clearest sense of who they are and the strongest commitment to staying true to self.
What turned the corner for me was to write and amplify my true voice, declaring with bold certainty that if I’m clear, the right business would come. And so it has, and I’m eternally grateful for the gift of that struggle. Life might be incredibly boring otherwise. 😊
Founder/Managing Principal/Fiercely Independent, IA
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PM Corner
Welcome to PM Corner, a new section dedicated to sharing valuable tips, tricks, and insights for program and project management. Here you’ll find practical advice, lessons learned, and articles written by our team to help streamline your workflows, improve stakeholder communication, and drive successful project outcomes. Whether you’re managing a single project or overseeing complex programs, this section will provide actionable insights you can implement right away.
IA recently introduced Sammye Walton as our Director of Program Management. This month, Sammye shares a little more about her career journey, as well as the importance of program and project management to transformation success.
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