Odyssey Reflections ◾ 171
words without a committed answer. He said, as only John could say it, “Talk
is cheap. Actions make things happen … Get on with it!”
This was more powerful input for me to think about and, more particu-
larly, to feel about. My head said, “Let me take a rational approach to this.”
My heart said, after I had overcome the inner critic who rears its ugly head
when one is most vulnerable, “Stop thinking you know it all. It’s time to
seriously examine what you are doing. It’s time to stop feeling less than who
you are, and above all, it is time to ensure your clients pay for the value you
provide.”
I debated with myself about the cost-benefit of signing up to Odyssey,
and in the end said—somewhat arrogantly—“I am doing it! I must invest
in myself to be the best I can be!” I hadn’t known that there was a way
to develop, build, or grow my consulting business. I was loaded up with
academic credentials but not a speck of consulting education or training. I
asked myself the question John had posited during his talk, “If I don’t do
this, how can I ask others to invest or pay me for what I do?”
So, I signed up for the Odyssey program.
A client was referred to me when I was working on the second module.
The company was a small biotech. Among other things, they wanted me to
conduct an organizational review and deliver findings on position descrip-
tions, performance appraisal, organizational charts, staff engagement, and
leadership development. I conducted my first M1 and M1r and had an abbre-
viated BMR with the CEO and board chairman.
When I reached the REC stage, I wrote up my proposal and began setting
out the fee structure. As I did, the old emotional reminders resurfaced: “You
need the money, don’t lose this opportunity … you will feel really bad if
you lose this contract … other consultants out there will charge less … you
might need to lowball this fee to get the work … they don’t really need you
to do this … do you think the CEO and board chair really like you or know
what you can do … or really care?”
With the strength of what I knew and had experienced from my short
time with the Odyssey process, I gritted my teeth and doubled my fee. As
I wrote the numbers into the proposal, as tough as it was, I said, “I am
worth every dollar because I know I will deliver ten times the value to the
organization!”
And that’s exactly what happened. What a rewarding affirmation that
was! I was now in a different place, with an entirely different mind-set.
As I reflect today on my Odyssey experience, it has changed both my life
and my work. As a consultant, there must be a conscious integration of who