At a charity event I met a senior partner from a top consulting firm.
When she found out what I do, as is often the case, she said to me, “Perhaps you can help me with a problem I have in my career.”
Curious as George, I decided to play along. “What do you want to change?” I asked.
She said, “I feel stuck in my career. I am working harder than ever and I feel I have reached a point where I can’t go any further.”
So I asked, “What are you willing to do about it?”
“Are you willing to leave?” “No.”
“Are you willing to change your behavior at work?” She told me she didn’t see how that was possible.
“Are you willing to change the way you think?” “I’m sure I’m thinking about it the right way,” she said defensively.
“Are you willing to deliver more value?” “I don’t see how I can.”
“Are you willing to learn new skills?” “I’m already very good at what I do.”
Finally, I asked her, so what are you willing to change?
She told me that she was sure she was doing all she could and that there was nothing more she could do.
That left me only one thing I could do. I made up an excuse and walked away.