Training Jockeys to Fish: A Paradoxical Approach to Consulting

(Disclaimer: If you couldn’t tell from the title, this article is about to get a little weird. Just don’t overthink things and try to stay away from visualizing some of these metaphors- especially the one at the end- and I think you’ll be fine.)

(Another disclaimer: If you do end up visualizing it because, well, that whole “don’t think about a white polar bear” psychological manipulative phenomenon, and you find yourself actually giggling or at least smiling at the image of a jockey going fishing because it kind of makes sense in a weird way that makes business seem more fun [and you can tolerate run-on sentences because I write the same way my brain thinks], then you are probably my kind of person. For the rest of you, please accept my apology in advance, and refer to the first disclaimer. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!)

Teaching your client to fish… or… something like that

We’ve all heard that “give a man a fish vs. teach a man to fish” adage, and we all agree- the latter is a much more sustainable and valuable approach. For the person being taught; not necessarily the fish giver. And consultants (the fish givers) leverage this. In many ways, consultants would rather “give a man a fish” (well, give a company the deliverables they agree upon) collect their payment, and call it a day. Absolutely fair, but not necessarily the approach I strongly believe in. I’d argue that, in fact, both benefit most from this educational mentorship approach of “teaching/being taught to fish”.

In consulting with clients, I strive to teach them to fish. Well, figuratively… I don’t actually take them fishing. Something about tying a writhing worm on a hook only to send it plummeting to its eventual death (and most likely the eventual death of its predator) just doesn’t scream “strategic marketing” to me. But, to be fair, I’ve never tried that during a session, so I may be totally off base in my prejudgment of that activity as a professional tool. (If you’ve tried this for your business- please let me know how it worked). But… I digress.

Training the jockey

I was blessed with some incredible advisors along my journey who used socratic mentorship with the vision of “training the jockey rather than the horse”. I know what you’re thinking- oh boy... another animal idiom. Yes, another animal idiom. Because it works. Allow me to elaborate.

When we start out in business, we think we know everything (kind of like being 15 years old, but with a car, an expense account, and [some] authority to make decisions that can determine the direction and ultimate fate of a company). And just like ourselves at 15, we make decisions that don’t always turn out the way we originally thought. “It seemed like a good idea at the time” won’t work as an excuse when you have employees to pay and customers to serve.

If I had just been given the answers, I probably would have avoided a lot of mistakes in my entrepreneurial/business journey. But then, there would be more obstacles and challenges to overcome, and I would be dependent on someone to give me the solutions to all of those new problems. Once those issues are resolved, there will be more. Trust me, there’s always more.

The wrenches that life and business like to throw at you never end. What separates the great leaders from the ones that ultimately fail is their ability to identify obstacles (and opportunities), cope, adapt, make goals, set plans in place, and execute. Rinse and repeat.

Starting out, I wasn’t given “the answers”. What I was given was even more valuable- the ability to ask myself the right questions in order to find the solutions on my own. Or at least to identify the right people or tools who can help me answer the questions. I identified the difference between an assumption and evidence. I learned how to problem solve, and how to leverage resources to my advantage. I could identify what I didn’t know, as well as a strategy to get the information I needed to move forward.

The interesting thing is that it didn’t matter what I was working on- which of my numerous startups I was trying to build at the time. Certainly, this mentoring approach helped me move past obstacles. However, after the ventures didn’t work out for one reason or another (and we all fail; failure is part of growth), I knew that I was better suited for the next one as a result. Those skills never leave, they only strengthen. My mentors were training me, “the jockey”, the entrepreneur, rather than building my business venture, “the horse”. The cool thing is that in doing so, both were able to grow.

The Doctor’s Paradox is really just a no-brainer

When marketing firms or consultants handle the work without taking the time to educate their clients and offer resources for moving forward, it creates a dependency. It’s a “one and done” relationship. It leaves the company no better and no worse, with a decent campaign or strategy, but no lesson learned and no sustainable growth or development. However, creating value that lasts (a lesson, an understanding) allows them to make more informed decisions about their company moving forward, and creates a trust and loyalty in your relationship.

Some might call this the “doctor’s paradox”. If I treat my patient until they become well, they won’t need my services anymore and I’ll work myself out of a job. But isn’t providing the best service and doing what is in the best interest of your clients what being a responsible professional is all about? Shouldn’t we be helping our patient, client, or customer so that they are better off than when they first started working with us? I believe it is. And the cool part is that they will want to work with you even more because of it. Better yet, they will REFER more customers to you. And who doesn’t love referrals, am I right?!

We’re seeing a shift toward more honest and ethical professional relationships. Especially in the age of social media and transparency, consumers have more power and more of a voice than ever. Let’s leverage that and provide the best experience for them that we can. Let’s do right by our customers, position them for success, and reap the rewards in the form of “thank you notes”, testimonials, referrals, and loyalty.

Leading by knowing

If I come across a client who would prefer the work is just done, rather than learning about why and how, I become skeptical of their leadership ability. Education is never wasted. Even if the work, itself, isn’t something the leader wants to do, directly, having an understanding of how and why it works will only position them more strongly in their business.

I’m not suggesting that business owners or managers should be responsible for every tactical element of their business. In fact, I think people should stick to what they do best, and surround themselves with great people who can handle the rest. However, managers need to understand how the entirety of their business works, what their customers think, how they make purchasing decisions, and understand trends in the economy, industry, and technology that might impact their company. As a consultant, if I can provide little nuggets of information that help in their ability to forecast, make decisions, or relate to their customers in a way they couldn’t before, I’m doing my job.

There’s a difference between a sparkly new marketing campaign and a new tool in my client’s managerial toolbox. A difference between an analytic report, and a new perspective. Between a deliverable and an understanding. I suggest we train the jockeys to fish, so giddy up and grab your tackle box!

Breanna Hale is an entrepreneurship enthusiast and business advisor at Innovantage Consulting who helps her clients attract, retain, and grow their customers by creating and implementing customized marketing and business development strategies.