As a consultant¹, I’m used to people asking me for my view, opinion, or advice. At the same time, I’m painfully aware that on most issues I’m commenting on, I’m not an authority. My clients usually are better experts in their fields of business, have a more comprehensive perspective on their goals and targets, and know their employees, suppliers, customers, and other interested parties much more deeply than I ever will. Still, they engage me to help them solve their problems, because they seek out my authority not in the “what”, but in the “how”. When working with them, I recommend the best paths and methods to solve their specific problems – all the time keeping in mind that it’s their problems, not mine. Therefore, when the collaboration is going smoothly, they fully own their “what” while taking my guidance on the “how”.

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