174 ◾ Odyssey—The Business of Consulting
seem to want to follow up on their own commitments; they lacked focus,
and I could not make any headway with them. Besides, the hiring selection
business was going extremely well, until the economic crash.
In the fall of 2009, I put in calls to some of my best and longest-term
clients and discovered that they were shrinking their operations. My big-
gest clients, on average, were shedding 60% of their staff. So, I decided that
the problem was a lack of marketing … Surely someone was hiring! I was
shocked when 25% of my mailings came back as “undeliverable.” That corre-
sponded to clients and prospects who had already closed their doors or had
downsized and moved. That marketing effort was a bust.
I talked to my colleagues who had been through Odyssey and read tes-
timonials on the Odyssey website. At that time, most of the messages went
along these lines: “Right after the program, I signed up a million-dollar client.”
But, my good friend, Greg Smith, told me his income had not increased at
all. So I asked him if he thought I should sign up, and he said, “Absolutely
yes! It will help blow the cobwebs out of your head.” I thought I understood
what Greg meant at the time, but it was only later that the true meaning of
his recommendation sunk in. I signed up for Odyssey.
In Dublin, August 2010, I was working on my purpose statement to be
delivered to my colleagues the next morning at the Odyssey MasterClass. I
sat in front of a blank page for a couple of hours; my mind was as blank as
the page before me. The task seemed impossibly difficult. And then I had a
flash of inspiration and drew this on the flip chart page (Figure 7.1).
Then I wrote, “My purpose is to help others uncover their purpose.”
While I was sitting at my desk, I could hear John’s voice in my head, talking
about taking personal responsibility.
Right then, something clicked for me … I needed to return to coach-
ing. The reason my coaching clients were not following through on their
e ARC of Energy drives both personal
mastery and organizational excellence:
Accountability to myself and my purpose
A:
Responsibility to those who depend on me
R:
Commitment to be the very best I can be
C
:
Figure 7.1 The Arc of Energy.
Odyssey Reflections ◾ 175
responsibilities, completing assignments, or making measurable progress
was that I had let them off the hook. I hadn’t made them follow through on
their responsibilities. I let them off the hook because I had let myself off the
hook. No matter what your role, manager, leader, coach, or parent, you can-
not hold others accountable if you do not hold yourself accountable.
This was a major breakthrough for me, and I anticipated, once again, a
fast-track return to financial rewards. It did not happen that way, however,
because I was missing the other important lessons from John’s 2005 speech
and my 2010 experience on the Odyssey program. Winners do lots of things
right, but the most important thing they have is the right mind-set. That
mind-set includes
◾ Knowing your purpose
◾ Personal accountability
◾ Getting out of your own way (as John told me many times), and, most
important of all
◾ Getting on with it
The latter has become my mantra, and when I find myself thinking
through the solution, checking in with colleagues, signing up for another
webinar, I can hear John telling me, “Get out of your own way, Boulay, and
get on with it!”
The point is that in business, it is often more important to act than to get
it exactly right. The fact is, we often get it wrong, but for every effort and
failure, we learn something to make the next effort more successful and
move our cause forward. If we only plan, think, and write about the future,
we are not achieving the future. While planning and thinking can help
avoid dumb mistakes, somebody had to build the first computer, launch the
first rocket, or fly the first airplane. Nothing happens until somebody does
something.
Since 2010, I have slowly improved my life by taking decisive actions in
areas that appear to have little to do with business. I dropped 40 pounds
and have maintained my ideal weight since 2011. I engaged a trainer and
have been working out at least three hours a week since 2012. As a result,
I have more energy and stamina. Significantly, I gained the self-confidence
that comes from accomplishing difficult tasks. This led to small but signifi-
cant changes in the way I talked about my business. I tell people about my
own journey and the “Arc of Energy.” I discuss my belief in goal achieve-
ment, which I call, “Achieve the Summit.” The result is a palpable difference
176 ◾ Odyssey—The Business of Consulting
in my presence and authenticity when talking to a prospect or catching up
with a client.
As the economy has revived, my coaching business has grown, and I
have several clients at various levels in their careers, working on projects
from mastering people management to planning for succession. Significantly,
coaching clients own their success, and I do not have to try as hard to gain
that ownership. This is exactly what I want to be doing. While the hiring
selection business is coming back strongly, I advocate that larger compa-
nies and consultants engage me not so much to do the work but to enter a
partnership to apply this knowledge to their business. This is a new aspect
of my business, but in these many small ways, I am working closer to my
purpose today than at any time in my consulting career.
I have also been more comfortable in seeking out others to whom I refer
work or with whom I collaborate on areas that I do not do well, turning
down business that does not interest me or engage my mind, respectfully
declining to spend valuable time with people who are not authentic, and
dropping vendors who do not measure up to my standards. Odyssey teaches
us to be clear about our purpose, accept personal responsibility for our
purpose, get out of our own way, and get on with it. I may be slower than
some, but success is not an overnight process. Success sometimes looks like
an “out of the blue” event, but there are many powerful examples of over-
night successes that were decades in the making.
Success is not necessarily about dollars. Odyssey defines success as achiev-
ing your purpose. Do what you love, people will see and feel your passion
and engage with you in a Level 3 or Level 4 partnership. The money may well
follow in such an engagement, but the real winners are your heart and soul.
You are holding the book. You are ready to act. There is no better time
than now. Get on with it.
Odyssey, the Rubicon, and Beyond
Carol Renaud Gaffney, PhD, Behavioral Intelligence Consultant® Integrated
Behavioral Intelligence Solutions™ LLC, Barrington, Rhode Island
“Are you ready to cross the Rubicon?”
“I am.”
With those words, in July 2007, symbolic and actual steps were taken into
a new, uncharted, and exciting landscape.
Odyssey Reflections ◾ 177
The week leading up to that moment had been intense. I had listened
to and learned from John and Imelda, as well as those in my cohort. I was
heard, challenged, and given the opportunity to laugh, cry, talk, think,
and spend uninterrupted time with myself. It had brought me to a point
where I had established goals, understood barriers, and made decisions
about my skills, creativity, value, and how I could contribute in my world
of work.
My career has had a number of twists and turns. I started out in the
emerging IT industry in the 1960s, went to psychology graduate school,
became a psychologist health service provider, then a consultant and
coach for high-performing teams and executives within a wide range of
businesses.
My offering included a variety of options for performance improvement,
but I soon learned that although I was providing good solutions, they were
transactional in nature. Even though I was a creative and a global thinker,
the different client services I offered were not organized within a compre-
hensive system. Neither my confidence in interacting with decision makers
nor my ability to write effective value-based proposals were well developed.
Although I had years of experience with people and organizations, I had not
internalized the role of professional consultant.
The Odyssey process gave me the system for effective professional con-
sulting. Odyssey ideas provided a new outlook for me on what to do to help
clients make decisions and how to implement change.
I also realized that the consultant still brings himself or herself to each
consulting situation. To be of exceptional value to clients, I wanted to bring
a fresh perspective tailored to the client’s culture and vision. It was also
important to me that I wasn’t simply a vehicle for the Odyssey process. I
also needed to understand how I personally brought value to my clients.
During the year leading to the Odyssey interactive week, I had begun to
develop Behavioral Intelligence, which is defined as “doing what’s right to
get the right things done.”
By the end of the formal Odyssey meetings, when I said I was ready to
cross the Rubicon, it was because I had crystallized the ideas for The STARR
Process
©
(Stop, Think, Assess, Respond, Review) to improve Behavioral
Intelligence, and I was prepared, with the Odyssey process understanding
and materials, to approach and interact with clients more confidently, more
holistically; with heart as well as hand, globally as well as functionally. It
was also important for me that I had feedback from colleagues and knew
that I would have friends and support on my journey.
178 ◾ Odyssey—The Business of Consulting
I crossed the Rubicon in 2007. I have not retreated.
What have been long-term Odyssey results?
◾ Clear thinking
◾ Confidence in my value and my strengths
◾ A network of like-minded colleagues and collaborators
◾ An effective business consulting system adaptable to a variety of
opportunities
Successful outcomes (meeting strategic goals) arise from the integration of
a powerful consulting system (Odyssey) and a powerful system for improv-
ing business results and personal well-being (Behavioral Intelligence and the
STARR process). The journey continues.
Changing Direction with Odyssey
Marcel van der Wal, Hermosillo, Mexico
2014 was quite a year for me. The decision to choose a different career path
has been a life-changing experience.
Joining Odyssey: The Business of Consulting program has been a choice
I will never regret, and nor do I regret my decision to change careers. At
times, I need to use my strongest characteristics and personal drive for inde-
pendence to keep me focused.
During the Odyssey process, I was able to collaborate with practicing
consultants who have become my colleagues and a valued resource for me
as I focus on finding Ideal Clients by using the Odyssey Arrow.
I am working hard to produce the best result possible and feel that the
support given has been nothing but exceptional. We had our MasterClass in
September 2014 in Ottawa, and my expectations were high. During these
meetings, with Imelda and Shayne and the other Odyssey participants, my
transformation process reached a new level.
I saw how the Odyssey process could work for me, and by applying the pro-
cess, I can achieve extraordinary results. As my experience grows in the applica-
tion of the Arrow, I can see how deviation from the process does not get results.
As a consultant looking at Levels 1–4 and targeting Level 4, it’s obvious
we never work on one level only. I need to be skilled enough at all levels,
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