by Gwen Bortner | Tips & Tricks
[featured-image single-newwindow=”false” id=”130728-Start” title=”Scrabble Start”]Image via Flickr by jakeandlindsay[/featured-image]
At the beginning of the month I laid out a challenge for myself, to write a blog post a day. And like most challenges, resolutions, or goals, things started off like gangbusters! But then the middle of the month arrived which included about 10 days of travel. I knew I should get at least a few of my posts written ahead of time and scheduled, but I just didn’t allocate enough time.
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by Gwen Bortner | Tips & Tricks
I have spent nearly 15 years of my life as a full-time consultant. Over that time I have run the gamut from being self-employed to working for one of the largest firms in the country. I have provided consulting services to mom-and-pop businesses, Fortune 100 businesses and everything in between. When I wasn’t working as a consultant, I was responsible for hiring consultants for projects, both big and small. All this to say – I know of what I speak.
Below are three of the most often suspected, rarely spoken-of truths about consultants. My guess is that I will be drummed out of the super-secret-society of consultants, but I am willing to take the risk. Because, if you are going to hire a consultant, knowing these will help in making the best decision possible.
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by Gwen Bortner | Training & Instruction
One of my very favorite things to do is teach. Recently I was interviewed for a video podcast by QuiltMoxie, and toward the end she asked me about my favorite question. What I answered was I have a favorite TYPE of question: it is the question whose answer causes the “light bulb moment” to happen. In those moments, there is a special look, response, expression or comment that lets the teacher know that the answer provided went much deeper than just the surface of the question asked. And that is my favorite moment in the classroom.
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by Gwen Bortner | Presenting
The secret to excellence is simple: you have to be willing to try, miss the mark, analyze what went astray, make adjustments and then try again. In short, you have to be willing to practice!
[featured-image single-newwindow=”false” id=”130702-PianoKeyboard” alt=”Piano Keyboard”]Image via Flickr by dgj103[/featured-image]
And there it is, as simple as that. But it is really that simple? Probably not quite, because you do need to have some basic competencies in the area in which you seek to be excellent. But the difference between someone being truly excellent versus good or adequate is rarely (if ever) raw talent; it has significantly more to do with their willingness to invest time and energy in the form of practice.
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