PICA Member Spotlights

Q&A with independent consultants who successfully “made the leap” and created the consulting career of their dreams

 

Q:  Please introduce yourself and tell us your area of specialty.

A: I'm Jodie Goulden, Founder of Orgdesign Works. As organization design consultants, we guide leaders in complex organizations to design ways of working to help their people and companies have more impact.

Q: How long have you been independent?

A: I’ve been independent five years, although I don’t think there was a moment where I said, “Now I’m independent.” It was probably more of an evolution.

Q: Tell us about the evolution, that’s what we want to hear about. 

A: Well, I worked for a long time in big multinational corporations, and I never imagined that I would become an independent consultant. I always thought of myself as a lifelong corporate person and I loved it. But there was a moment where I thought about how I could continue to grow and progress my career, and I couldn't see a way to continue to do that where I was. So I jumped out. I think you call it making the leap and it definitely felt like a leap at that time. When I left the corporate world, I didn't know what I was going to do or that I would become an independent consultant. It took me some time to figure out what I wanted to do. Ultimately I chose independent consulting because it gave me a way to learn and further develop the things I love to do, but from a different perspective. For me, the common thread has been helping big companies make a positive impact in the world, and now I do that as an external consultant rather than as a leader inside the organization.

Q: What were some of the first things you did to gain momentum as an independent consultant? 

A: There has been a bigger learning curve than I expected from being internal to being independent. There were so many levels of things I had to learn, starting with understanding and defining my niche – what is it that I do really well and where will I focus? From there I had to learn how to articulate that and talk about it with others that so I could market myself. I also had to learn how to develop relationships that would lead to business and how to pitch for a decent sized project. There are just so many things that have taken me years to—I won't say master because I'm still learning—but to get comfortable and confident in that role.

Q: What was one of the first things you did once you realized you didn’t want to join another company because you wanted to be self-employed?

A: I think it was about defining my area of expertise when I had always considered myself as very versatile. For me, it was a process that took reading books, taking time to reflect, being a part of different groups and support networks, and I worked with a LinkedIn coach to learn how to get my social media presence aligned with that. I would gradually refine my service offerings, then further refine them. Then, as I was creating my website I had to revise it again. When I moved from Europe to the United States I had to revisit it again, and PICA helped that time. When you work in a large company, you take on opportunities that are in front of you. As an independent consultant, you have both the freedom and obligation to forge your own path. It has been a very rewarding learning experience. 

Q: You mentioned that you read some books to help clarify your thinking. Can you name one that was particularly insightful or useful?

A: I can name two. The Power of Onlyness by Nilofer Merchant, which is about understanding how each and every one of us sees the world from a unique perspective. And, that only you have the exact combination of skills and background that lets you see things in a certain way. That’s something that I didn’t really think about in the beginning of my journey, but it was very helpful. The second book is called Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. It’s a really nice guidebook that takes a design thinking approach and applies it to your own life and career. Basically you’re designing where you want to be with your life and I liked that because it’s very practical.

Q: In terms of looking back over the last five years, what do you know now that you wish you would have known then?

A: I don’t know if there’s anything I could have known at that time that would have helped me. In other words, everything I know now I had to learn for myself. I had to learn how to: market myself, define what I do, use social media, write a proposal, and set up my business. People gave me good advice, but until I experienced it, I couldn’t really understand, and I made a lot of mistakes early on. When I think about how I reached out to my network to ask for introductions and recommendations I cringe now to think of how clumsily I presented myself. In hindsight, people probably found it difficult to help me because I didn’t know how to explain the ways that I can bring value, but that developed as I learned from my mistakes.

Q: What's one of the hardest things you've had to figure out these last five years, and how did you go about figuring it out?

A: I moved from Germany to the U.S. and that was a challenge and hard work. But it’s even more of a challenge as an independent consultant because everything is about the network that you have and the reputation you have in your market. I had spent a considerable amount of time building up my network in Europe, and I've been in U.S. for a year and a half now, and it's been really hard work to rebuild my network here. Even though I consider my business global, you can't build a network and deliver projects everywhere in the world at the same time.

Q:  How did you grow your network in the U.S.? 

A: PICA has been a fantastic resource for me because I can connect and participate in different networking events. I also volunteer on the board of the Organization Design Forum, which gives me a way to contribute in a professional network. Just getting out there and meeting people is how I’ve done it so far. I have found that it’s important to choose the way that works for you. For me, I like to connect with people in a very hands-on way, going to conferences, speaking at events, teaching, facilitating conversations. Those things suit my style, but some people build their reputation in other ways, such as writing or conducting research. 

Q: What’s next for you and Orgdesign Works?

A: We are growing step by step. I have an Associate based in the U.K., which means we can seamlessly support our global clients. We’re starting to work on bigger projects and will need to find other independent consultants to become part of Orgdesign Works. Ideally, people who are as passionate about organization design as we are, and who share our values, that companies can be a force for good in the world, that they are full of talented and motivated people, and that you can design the organizational system so that people can make an impact.

Q: How can people find out more about you or the values or Orgdesign Works?

A: Our website is a great place to start, and if something resonates connect with me on LinkedIn.


~ ~ ~ Additional PICA Resources ~ ~ ~