Imagine a consulting organization that not only provided advice, but guided clients through the changes recommended. Imagine further that the client learned and was transformed by being challenged to quickly assume the place of the consultants.
Imagine how much more effective the consultants’ advice would be in the long term if they emphasized qualities like
- Self-knowledge
- Craftsmanship
- Tenacity
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- The ability to go beyond self-imposed limitations
- Acceptance of responsibility
- Self-reliance
That’s what Outward Bound does. They take you out into the wilderness and show you a plethora of new skills, everything from navigating dangerous white water rapids in a raft to campsite cooking for 30. The next day you’re not only expected to do these things, but to also lead your peers through them. It’s deliberately very hard, and forces people to step up and achieve more than they could before, and become more comfortable as leaders. It seems to me this is a great model for consultants to use when the goal is to create lasting change.