Finding My Voice: Lessons From 2 years as a Strategy Consultant
A Farewell from Mariah Williams
There I was in front of the room preparing to facilitate a half day retreat. It was a year in, and by then I’d had a few projects under my belt. On this occasion, I was particularly excited because I had the opportunity to work with an organization doing work that I really believed in. There were a few minutes left before we started and I was going over the points I wanted to make when we kicked off the retreat in my head. I reviewed some items with my co-facilitator, and we decided to finally get started. We let folks get settled in and then welcomed everyone into the space. As I looked around the room, the excitement and commitment to spending half a day together was palpable in the faces that stared back at me. It was finally my turn to introduce myself.
I had gotten into the habit of doing my usual spiel: my name, role, and where we were in the process. But on this day, something else came over me. I felt something telling me to share my own story, to humanize myself, and to show how I was an example of someone who had benefitted from work much like that of the organization’s with hopes that it would affirm why a process such as strategic planning was so important in fortifying their future and strengthening their overall impact in the community.
And so I did. I shared.
They nodded and they smiled. We proceeded. And at the end of the morning, a few of the staff members came up to me and thanked me for sharing my own story. They then began to tell me about themselves.
When I think back to that moment, it was really one of the first times that I had actually brought myself into the room as a consultant during my time at The Spark Mill. Before, I felt afraid, unlike myself, even though I often knew I had something meaningful to say.
So, on one of my last days at The Spark Mill when my co-worker asked, “What would you share with someone starting out in your role?”, I pondered this question for a bit, but then it came to me.
“I’d tell them to make sure they lean into their voice, because we all have one. And the best thing we can do as consultants is to show up in rooms as ourselves and guide in a way that feels authentic to who we are.”
This was the most valuable thing I learned throughout my time as a consultant with The Spark Mill. It took me a while to get to this place, a place where I felt comfortable being who I was, recognizing that the lens I held and my lived experiences brought just as much expertise as the degrees I’d earned.
As I say farewell to The Spark Mill and transition into my new position at HOME, this is one of the many lessons I will take with me as I work to lean into my own voice and encourage others to do the same.