Teachable moments #43 - The Value of Ownership and Scar Tissue

Reflecting on my journey, I often return to a provocative question: How many of us come from consulting? The answer, in many circles, is “too many”-and that’s not always a good thing. The mind, after all, is too important to waste on experiences that don’t truly challenge us to grow in meaningful ways.

Consulting: A Two-Dimensional Experience

In consulting, you gain a broad view of companies, but it’s often rather superficial. It’s like looking at a picture of a banana: you see the shape, the colour, the texture, but you never actually taste it. You might accumulate a gallery of such pictures-bananas, peaches, grapes-but without the experience of actually doing the work, you never get the full, three-dimensional understanding.

The Value of Ownership and Scar Tissue

What’s missing is ownership. Without owning something over an extended period, you don’t have the chance to take responsibility for your recommendations. You don’t accumulate scar tissue from mistakes, nor do you experience the satisfaction of picking yourself up off the ground and trying again. Real learning happens when you’re in the thick of it-when your decisions have consequences, and you’re forced to adapt, iterate, and grow.

Why I Waited to Become a Consultant

This is precisely why I didn’t leap straight into setting up my own consulting business. Instead, I spent over two decades rolling up my sleeves and collecting real-world experience-managing teams, launching products, fixing what was broken, and living with the consequences of my decisions. I learnt what it truly takes to drive change, not just recommend it. In fact, my first consulting role only came after more than fifteen years of working from the ground up. Even then, my role focused on helping the business successfully navigate out of the global COVID pandemic, a challenge that pushed me and the team to break boundaries we usually wouldn't have thought possible.

Now, when I walk into an organisation, I bring more than just frameworks and slide decks. I bring the scars and the stories. I know what it’s like to be responsible for results, to navigate tough times, and to celebrate hard-won victories. This three-dimensional experience means I can help organisations succeed in ways I simply couldn’t have if I’d started consulting too early.

Consultants as Variable Expenses

There’s another hard truth: as a consultant, you’re often seen as a variable expense. When times get tough, you’re among the first to go. You’re not rooted in the organisation; you’re a resource to be deployed or cut, not a stakeholder with skin in the game. That’s why I work to be more than just an outsider with opinions-I aim to be a partner who’s walked the walk.

Why Depth Matters

This is why I believe in the power of depth over breadth. Consulting offers a panoramic view of business, but it was only when I took ownership-when I was responsible for outcomes over time-that I truly learnt. The scars I earned from mistakes became my greatest teachers. The taste of real experience, with all its complexity and richness, is something no two-dimensional picture can ever provide.

“You might have a lot of pictures on your walls. I’ve worked them bananas. I’ve worked in peaches, I’ve worked in grapes, but you never really taste it.”

If you’re early in your career, consider this: don’t just collect pictures. Find opportunities to own, to build, to fail, and to succeed. That’s where the real growth-and the real satisfaction-lies. And if you ever decide to consult, do it with the depth and empathy that only real experience can bring. That’s how you’ll truly help organisations thrive.