On Canines and Consulting

Originally Posted on LinkedIn on October 26, 2015

I got a dog.

After a lifetime of not being a “dog person,” my family and I now share our home with Kyle, a five-year-old Chihuahua mix who hails from Miami. Who would believe it? Me…. a dog person!?!?

Revelation #1: I really like dogs…a lot. Despite years of identifying myself as a non-dog person, I have transformed easily and whole-heartedly into a dog lover, a role I never thought I would want and certainly never imagined I would enjoy. If you know me, you’d be surprised to learn that just as I was about to sit down and write this post, UPS delivered a Halloween costume I ordered for Kyle. I immediately ripped open the package and dressed him up in his little taco outfit and then, of course, took a photo. (To my credit, I have not posted it on Facebook — yet.) Yes…I am officially a dog person.

And here’s Revelation #2: I like consulting. After a fulfilling professional career leading development departments at some incredible mission-driven nonprofits, I have now taken on a new role, that of a consultant. Never would I have seen myself freelancing like this (just as I never pictured myself picking up dog poop on the streets of Brooklyn). Throughout my career, I fully enjoyed focusing on one mission at a time. I also appreciated the routines, the health insurance, even the periodic conference room birthday parties. Being an independent consultant appealed to me almost as much as the idea of picking dog hair off of my clothes. It just wasn’t “me.”

So, now it’s official: “Fulltime Employee Me” has been replaced by “Consultant Me.”

After a career of supporting the individual missions of many wonderful organizations, I now have my own personal mission: To use the expertise developed over my career to expand the capacity of well-meaning, life-changing organizations, enabling them to realize their visions for a better world.

Stay tuned. I’ll be posting regularly more personal insights and stories, as well as quick pearls of wisdom gained from a career in development and communications that has spanned 25+ years.