Contrary to popular belief, bringing in consultants doesn’t mean you’ve failed to solve your own problems. You can be the most brilliant, innovative, and efficient business manager and still need a hand. Even Steve Jobs got stuck; it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.
But before you start making any calls, you need to figure out whether you’re actually stuck or just need to give a subject more thought. For me, I know I’m stuck when an item on my priorities list gets pushed aside 3-4 times. That tells me that I’m missing some key element to finding the answer, and it’s my cue that I need somebody to help me work out the solution.
Sometimes the solution is to look in your own organization. Maybe you just need to get your VP of Sales and VP of Production in the room together to hash things out. But sometimes it takes more than that. You may need someone outside of your organization (or even your industry) to come in and give the problem some fresh eyes. Scary as it is to acknowledge needing help, it’s oftentimes the simplest way to solve your problems.
Steve Jobs was never afraid to call in outside help, and if you want to reach that level of success, you need to have the same attitude. You’d be surprised how often that big, all-consuming problem can be solved with just a few hours and cups of coffee with the right people in the room.