Abstract

This final assessment will detail my growth and development as I make my way to becoming a practitioner of I/O Psychology. Discussed in this paper will be my vision for my future consultancy as well as strategies for the type of consultant I wish to be as well as the practice I wish to build. I will also detail some marketing strategies and a self-assessment of my skills with room for improvement. Lastly, I will be outlining some strategies to keep me uplifted and away from burnout.

My Vision of Becoming an Independent Consultant

As I continue my journey to become an independent consultant, it was not difficult for me to know what area I would love to practice in. I have always been privileged to have been around high-level leaders and be there to explain what is happening on the front lines as well as become a bridge between these leaders and emerging leaders from the rank-and-file teams below. From senior managers to executives, I have always been tapped to keep my hand on the pulse of areas ranging from shop floors to airport concourses during my time as a manager in aviation. I have taken pleasure in providing senior leaders with advice on how to create stronger bonds and solve problems alongside rank-and-file employees as well as helped develop new leaders. From these experiences, I decided to make this a passion and eventually a profession as a leadership development coach/consultant.

Strategies For My Future Consultation Practice

Honing my craft may be a work in progress, but I have had a lot of practical experience and exposure to some amazing leaders throughout my career. My personal development has utilized the power of positive organizational behavior (POB) which is best defined by Avey et al. (2008, p. 112) as “the study and application of positively oriented human resource strengths and psychological capacities that can be measured, developed, and effectively managed for performance improvement in today’s workplace.” My old mentor educated me on this concept; he also allowed me my first opportunities as a manager to work with outside consultants to help build transformational leaders while encouraging form and habits to increase performance.

I believe this is a practice I should embody as I move forward to becoming a consultant. I also believe that utilizing positive psychology and CBT as a practice will guide me as I have begun to show a deep interest in both concepts. Considering how a consultant needs to be collaborative and ready to approach situations like resistance head-on, taking the actionable parts of positive psychology such as “enhancing public trust, improving training, and testing the effectiveness of interventions” will be part of my consultant repertoire (Biswas-Diner, 2020, p. 701). While I am grateful for being exposed to concepts such as POB, I also know as a practitioner, there are competencies I should encompass in my work that will allow me to excel.

Some of these competencies include “(a) reflecting on my behavior, (b) developing relationships, (c) engaging consultees in the process, (d) understanding consultation research and theory, (e) assessing problems, (f) intervening on problems, (g) consulting and multicultural contexts, (h) using research methods, (i) understanding systems, (j) and adhering to professional ethics” (Newell, 2012, p. 9). Being a leader in various capacities, I believe the missing skill sets that I/O psychology is providing me have helped shaped how I communicate, even in my current role. I believe my experiences old and new qualify me to eventually perform psychological consultation within the workplace.

PSY FPX 6730 Assessment 6 Growth and Development

Lastly, about my VIA character strengths, my top three attributes are Humor, Social Intelligence, and Leadership. I believe as a consultant you should be technically versed but also social and engaging. I think utilizing these attributes would work well to my advantage. I see how far humor and social intelligence reinforce my leadership at the MTA. This has an effect where people want to work with you to achieve goals. I look at my experience with consultants and while they were pleasant, they were understandably all business. I wish to be both ways, but able to cut through tension and resistance using humor alongside my chosen methodologies to combat it.

What is My Marketing Action Plan

For me to market myself and my fledgling consultancy to the world I harken back a little to my VIA character assessment results and those top three attributes. Being a leader and exuding leadership is important to me, but it is balanced by the humor and social intelligence I project. My team knows that I am inspirational and focused on their well-being and progress, but I also lead with humor, even when we are in the thick of work projects or other tasks, I make sure I provide them with the right motivations and goals to push through. I believe as a consultant these attributes do have a place in how I would operate. However, this does not mean that I am without weaknesses.

One of the shortfalls I have is that I do not have much of a social media presence. I think for someone to expand their reach, social media is a must. I know that I would need to eventually create and increase my footprint in this space. I also hope to. Take advantage of my SIOP membership to network with others who are practicing this craft. Before I can market myself legitimately to attract paying clients, it stands to reason that performing some work for free may be a good idea. Listening to the founding partners of AMCA Consulting, they gave some great self-marketing ideas such as “doing a project for a junior league or an organization” (Capella University, 2023).

I am fortunate to have several friends with small businesses and a few with non-profits that I would be able to take on some projects. Another tip given by the AMCA consultants was to “be a student” for these same clients. As an active individual, I would love to be able to be in the trench with the folks I am here to learn about. Regarding areas of professional development, the last thing I would want is to be lacking in areas of professional expectation such as communication and engagement. Now I work in management within the Organizational Development and Design department of the largest Growth and Development transportation organization in North America (MTA).

PSY FPX 6730 Assessment 6 Growth and Development

I am lucky to have direct access to many forms of professional development mechanisms which I plan to take full advantage of. Lastly, regarding costs or feasibility issues when it comes to creating a marketing plan, I do not see much in the way of huge hurdles. Except for time, utilizing social media for business purposes will come with a learning curve but it is accepted. I believe that time will also play a factor if I am to perform free project work. If I pace myself properly, I believe I can grow in the consultant space while building future clients who will already be comfortable with my results.

Strategies to Keep Motivated and Moving Forward

At this point in my career, I have had plenty of access to people and materials I needed to succeed, I believe this new adventure I am enveloped in is no different. However, that does not mean I should not have a set of strategies to stave off issues such as burnout and keep my engagement high. Below are three practices I will do my best to keep in play as I grow into a practitioner:

Social Support and Sense of Community: In an interesting article by Kovach Clark et al. (2009, p. 582), “social support refers to the resources and interactions provided by others and/or the connection to others that help one cope with stressful circumstances

.” This means my SIOP resources as well as my professional mentors will continue to be pillars of support when I begin to feel the weight of the world.

Solution-Focused Cognitive Behavioral coaching (SFCB): Another method to utilize to keep me level and pleased with my efforts is the SFCB method. SFCB can be described as a tool to “enhance performance, reduce stress, and help build resilience –Thus, SFCB coaching may be a useful methodology for enhancing both performance and well-being while also serving as a preventative mechanism that can reduce the probability of stress Growth and Development related fatigue and burnout” (Grant, 2017, p. 98). My mentor is a practitioner of this method and she and I have spoken about this practice; she has told me she will guide me through the steps of the SFCB when the times call for it.

My Personality: Lastly, I am an admitted social butterfly in the workplace. I thrive off helping people and seeing the organization become better for it. Being able to perform these functions as a consultant will continue to bring me joy with the biggest difference being that I get to leave behind a system created through collaboration. I also have an unshakeable belief in myself. I believe in my abilities and my propensity to learn new techniques while sharpening existing ones.

Conclusion

This has been the most challenging course I have experienced so far but I have learned a great deal from these lessons. I believe that I will be a successful consultant because my learning does not stop with graduation. I understand the demands that will be placed on an independent consultant, and I believe I will rise to the challenge. I am also grateful for the support I currently receive as well as the help I will receive in the future. Until then, I will continue through this academic journey doing the best work possible knowing there is a bright future ahead of me.

References

Avey, J. B., Hughes, L. W., Norman, S. M., & Luthans, K. W. (2008). Using positivity, transformational leadership and empowerment to combat employee negativity. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 29(2), 110-126. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730810852470

Biswas-Diener, R., (2020). The practice of positive psychology coaching. The Journal of Positive Psychology. 15(5), 701-704. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2020.1789705

Capella University. (2023). AMCA Consulting Partnership Interview: Marketing. https://media.capella.edu/CourseMedia/psy-fpx8730element237359/wrapper.asp

Grant, A. M. (2017). Solution-focused cognitive–behavioral coaching for sustainable high performance and circumventing stress, fatigue, and burnout. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 69(2), 98–111. https://doi.org/10.1037/cpb0000086

Kovach Clark, H., Murdock, N. L., & Koetting, K. (2009). Predicting Burnout and Career Choice Satisfaction in Counseling Psychology Graduate Students. The Counseling Psychologist, 37(4), 580–606. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000008319985

PSY FPX 6730 Assessment 6 Growth and Development

Newell, M. L. (2012). Transforming knowledge to skill: Evaluating the consultation competence of novice school-based consultants. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 64(1), 8–28. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027741