As an aspiring consultant still with my NGO employer part time, it's very interesting to see both sides of under-capacity at the same time. In the last two weeks, I've had two phone calls from organisations saying they *urgently* need something to be done this week, and am I available *immediately*? Happily, the only thing work interrupts at the moment is gazing at my expanding navel, so I sign up without hesitation. The problem is, my agreement is inevitably followed up with silence.
I know that silence; I'm responsible for it on the other side of the fence. It's the silence of a last minute reconsideration of the work plan; of an unexpected disagreement in the board; of a hangup on finances; of the crucial project designer catching flu. When I'm on the NGO side of the fence, this silence gives me some breathing space to catch up on the backlog of 100 other things that need to get done. When I'm on the consultant side of the fence, it gives me the chance to sit on the balcony with a spoonful of nutella and try and sort out realistic expectations for Life After Baby. At some other point, it might make me anxious and irritable - it's very hard to plan your workload! But for now, it's a good lesson in zen.
I know that silence; I'm responsible for it on the other side of the fence. It's the silence of a last minute reconsideration of the work plan; of an unexpected disagreement in the board; of a hangup on finances; of the crucial project designer catching flu. When I'm on the NGO side of the fence, this silence gives me some breathing space to catch up on the backlog of 100 other things that need to get done. When I'm on the consultant side of the fence, it gives me the chance to sit on the balcony with a spoonful of nutella and try and sort out realistic expectations for Life After Baby. At some other point, it might make me anxious and irritable - it's very hard to plan your workload! But for now, it's a good lesson in zen.
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