Top 5 Lessons from IT Consulting (That I Wouldn’t Trade for Anything)

After years in the trenches of IT Consulting—from go-lives to network cutovers to digital transformations, here are 5 lessons I've learned that highlight the bittersweet magic of our work:

1️⃣ You’re NEVER the HERO...you are always the GUIDE.

It's never about you, the consultant. It is ALWAYS about the client & people you serve, helping them succeed, polishing them to perfection. The best consultants lift others and help them shine—knowing that is where the highest fulfillment lies.

2️⃣ Unity is Strength...Contention breeds Chaos.

Every person we serve and every vendor we work with is full of uniquely talented and experienced people who can be great allies or fearsome enemies. Effective Consulting is about building bridges over gulfs and tackling the problem, not the people on "the other side". Coming together into ONE team and ONE mission is critical to project/program/go-live success and happiness!

3️⃣ NEVER be too proud to ask questions.

With years of experience/certs/successes it can be easy for us to assume we already know...but that easiness begets assumptions begets ignorance and ultimately failure. We need to ask questions and seek understanding from the SMEs/experts and leverage their experience to seek the best solution regardless of source or title.

4️⃣Excel is Eternal.

Despite the profusion of software, AI, and solutions on the marketplace, you simply can't beat the ease of use and adaptability of simple Excel/Google Sheets in the right hands. From data extracts/analysis to automations to playbooks/runbooks and visualizations it simply WORKS. Regardless of the software platform or client there will still be spreadsheets getting work done.

5️⃣It’s not only about pretty Presentations...it is about RESULTS.

At this point in my career I have seen thousands of slide decks from basic to beautiful to Transcendent Visual Feasts that caused Oohs and Aahs from the board room and Teams call. However, when those visual fail to become actuals it leads to frustration, loss of trust, and lost momentum. Consulting is all about delivering and enabling outcomes...not window dressing. Fancy decks don’t move the needle—alignment and execution do.

In summary, consulting is brutal, exciting, stressful, and transformational work that brings out the best in you and those you serve for a limited time that sometimes feels too long and ALWAYS feels too short.

You leave a piece of yourself in every organization you serve and bring a piece of them with you.

It is a mad sprinting marathon and yet a moment of peace and clarity in a chaotic world.

I absolutely love being an IT consultant and the people I am able to serve and learn with on this amazing journey called life.

Do you agree? Any additions/changes?

Brooksource #ITConsulting #HealthcareIT #ConsultingLife #DigitalTransformation #LessonsLearned #HealthIT #ChangeManagement #GoLiveWarStories #programmanagement