Stop trying to be the best.

Start being the only one who can:

• Connect multiple domains

• Speak different languages

• Bridge separate worlds

• See invisible patterns

Specialists get jobs.

Polymaths create categories.

In a world that rewards deep expertise, the real game-changers are those who can cross boundaries, blend disciplines, and shape entirely new ways of thinking.

The future belongs to those who don’t just fit into existing roles but redefine them.

Which one are you?

After decades of consulting, I could easily write a post titled, “The Top 10 Lessons I’ve Learned.” But I’m not here to do clickbait.

My intention isn’t to gain followers, generate leads, or chase some fleeting boost in engagement. Instead, I want to share practical insights from my journey: what has worked for clients, what hasn’t, and how I’ve approached challenges. My hope is that this offers you something useful and enlightening. I know some prefer the list format so I will include them as well.

A Reluctant Start to Consulting

A couple of decades ago, I was offered an opportunity to step into consulting. My initial reaction? “I’m not the consultant type.” Here’s why I hesitated:

1. Imposter Syndrome: I doubted whether my knowledge and experience were well-rounded enough to serve as a trusted advisor who could jump into any project and deliver value.
2. Bad Examples: I’d seen consultants who overestimated their abilities but couldn’t deliver. Many were learning on the job, which didn’t align with my personal standards of integrity.
3. Profit-Driven Models: The traditional consulting model—focused on billable hours and revenue—clashed with my belief that consulting should prioritize the client’s success and long-term outcomes.

Back then, and even now, I see many consulting firms and agencies that prioritize profit over meaningful partnerships. After reflecting deeply on my experiences and accomplishments, I realized I had something unique to bring to the table. That realization gave me the confidence to dive in fully.

The Turning Point

My first consulting engagement was supposed to last two weeks. The client had a time-critical problem, and I was tasked with finding a solution. Within the first week, I tackled the issue with an out-of-the-box approach that worked where others had struggled. The results spoke for themselves: the client extended my engagement for over seven and a half years, involving me in every major project.

Why did they keep me around for so long? Here’s what I brought to the table:

1. Creative Problem-Solving: I quickly identified solutions that had eluded the client.
2. Ownership: I fully embraced responsibility for every project I was assigned.
3. Respect: I valued the client’s time and adhered to their organizational structure.
4. Active Listening: I sought to understand their needs and asked meaningful questions that addressed both immediate concerns and broader contexts.
5. Holistic Thinking: I connected the dots to identify and address potential blind spots beyond the immediate scope.
6. Clear Communication: By blending technical and functional language with a touch of humor, I reduced tension and improved collaboration.
7. Client-Centric Approach: I prioritized their success and long-term partnership over short-term metrics like billable hours.

The Results

Since then, I’ve worked with numerous clients and always maintained this approach. Here’s what I’ve observed:

1. Corporate Politics: Allowing internal politics or drama to seep into client relationships almost always leads to tension and failure. Maintaining integrity and focusing on shared goals fosters trust and collaboration.
2. Leadership by Example: Demonstrating accountability, respect, and positivity creates a ripple effect. It not only strengthens client relationships but also elevates team dynamics and corporate culture.
3. Creating Safe Spaces: Encouraging a supportive and transparent environment empowers teams and builds deeper connections that transcend the “job” mentality.

Final Thoughts

There’s so much more to say, but I’ll leave it here for now. If you’ve made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read. I hope these reflections inspire you to think about your own approach and offer ideas you can apply to your success.

If you find this helpful, feel free to like, comment, share, and repost it to help others who might benefit from it.

As someone who works in multiple verticals and various team structures and corporations, I see firsthand how misinformation is altering discussions. Even more so on social media and online interactions. It’s becoming harder to distinguish real people from algorithm-driven voices, and this fuels division. But beyond these digital conflicts, I hope we remember that each vote and viewpoint has merit. Regardless of who won or lost in the election, both sides are filled with people / Human beings / whose voices deserve respect.

The growing wealth gap, divisiveness, and dissatisfaction with the government reflect the frustration many feel. People need to be educated to see beyond the misleading actions the people in power leverage to maintain and gain more control. People want change not out of loyalty to a party but because they crave a leadership/government that serves them and their loved ones. Our shared struggles and dreams unite us far more than politics and opinions divide us.

Through my travels and interactions across diverse cultures, I’ve learned that, beneath the surface, we are all remarkably similar. We all laugh, hurt, and care. If we could see beyond our differences, we’d realize that most of us want the same things: happiness, stability, and connection.

So, let’s approach disagreements with empathy, whether online or in person. We gain nothing from tearing each other down. If you find yourself debating politics or life online, ask if it’s improving your life in the long term and not just a quick boost. I believe in graciously respecting both victories and defeats and recognizing humanity on the other side.

Take care of each other, spend time wisely, and remember that we’re all in this together.

#humanbeings #respecteachother #gracious #inthistogether

hashtag#chatgpt hashtag#AI hashtag#artificialintelligence hashtag#biologicalintelligence

hashtag#thoughtoftheday hashtag#hrairtcholakian

10 Traits Of Highly Affective Leaders:

1. They maintain eye contact.

2. They speak with a steady, calm voice.

3. They don’t feel the need to brag.

4. They listen more than they speak.

5. They aren’t afraid to say “I don’t know”

6. They don’t need validation from others.

7. They embrace challenges and failures.

8. Practice Active Listening.

9. Network Strategically.

10. Reflect and Adjust.


#traits #effective #leaderships

When we are face to face with death at a young age, we tend to look at life differently. We develop a perspective that can see beyond the surface and propaganda.

Sometimes that can come off as detached and cynical. We have to work at nurturing the softer side and balance out using our heart and mind, while staying empathic and open minded.

Our world is full of division and derision. We have to do our part to reverse this.

We also need to try to work together to reverse decades, if not centuries, of greed and the need to control others by dividing and pitting one against each other for the sake of greed, power and a money-hungry group of people.

Instead, we should help each other to coexist peacefully, regardless of background and beliefs.

“The purpose of propaganda is to make one set of people forget that other sets of people are humans.” – Aldous Huxley

Throughout history, there have been many articles, books, documentaries and films warning us of the path we humans have been on…

Some songs that provide insights on this:
“Us and Them” by Pink Floyd
“Crime of the Century” by Supertramp
“Driven to Tears” by The Police
“Right in two” by Tool

Don’t blindly follow the path without looking beyond the surface with an open mind. Never place blame on others for the road you are on. It’s your own asphalt.


#thoughtsoftheday #divide #derision #propaganda #belowthesurface #supporteachother #coexist

Why work with Eksperts when there are those larger consulting firms?!

Eksperts try harder to build long term relationships and not driven by stock prices and profit margins!

#clientadvocate #clientsuccess #clientrelationship #consulting #humuor

The CEO of Spotify, who does not know how to play any instruments or arrange a piece of music or write a song, just posted that for Q1 of 2024 Spotify posted $1 billion in profit. Then, announced that they are raising the monthly subscription fees and none of that is going to the artists. Also, introduce a minimum threshold of 1000 streams before the artist can qualify to get paid the very low (pennies) amount per stream.

one of many examples: Peter Frampton recently posted: “For 55 million streams of, ‘Baby I Love Your Way’, I got $1,700,”

I know it’s not just up to the CEO for a publicly traded company.

Still.

Talk about greed and out of touch.

I am posting this because music has been and is one of the most important aspects of my daily life. Music has helped me through some very hard times. Too many to count.

There are so many amazing new and old artists and music out there. All it takes is just a little effort with many modern tools to discover, listen and purchase. I buy directly from artists whenever it’s available or purchase CDs, Vinyl, or digital downloads to better support the artists.

I am aware that it’s not that simple and we have to be more actively involved, but it seems that there is a lot of money left on the table from the Spotify model. The system is broken. There are many other similar business models that are in the same state of “growth” that take advantage of talents. We tend to fall into the convenience of things for the short-term benefit, but we pay for it in the long run. We should do better as human beings. We can do better.

#spotify #music #artist #streamingmusic #fairpay #wecandobetter

“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” – Rolling Stones

Oh no, not again! There goes Hrair going on about music/songs again…

Here’s why I thought of those lyrics:

A potential client called us via a recommendation from another happy client. This potential client wanted us to provide a project manager for their HCM implementation project.

I sat in on the call with our salesperson to listen in and provide support as needed.

They seemed to be in a rush and wanted the PM to start quickly. This is fairly common as most clients start a project thinking that they can take it on with their current staff. However, soon realize that they still have their daily tasks and responsibilities to perform.

After a few minutes of introductions and listening to them talking about what they wanted, I started asking questions based on the information so far. My intuition kept nudging me that there was something still that had not surfaced in our conversations. So, I kept digging further and asking questions to see things from their perspective. I always strive to put myself in the client’s seat to better understand everything. I was able to identify another gap, besides the PM they wanted.

At this point, I started to explain that they needed a Time Module resource to help them with the client-side activities which are heavy lift client-side tasks, towards the end of the project cycle.

The client was silent for a few and then said that they were so glad that I was on the call and engaged with all these details. They had no idea that was a blind spot and a huge gap.

Needless to say, the project went very well, and they could not stop talking about that first call they had with me. They said that they would come to me for anything they wanted and needed going forward.

Sometimes, you get what you want AND what you need.

Music #want #need #project #implemenation #clientadvocacy #HCM #sales #storytime

What does John Paul Jones, the bass/keyboard/musician of Led Zeppelin, have to do with the professional corporate world and project teams, or even climbing a mountain?

Hear me out.

Recently, I was listening to my music in random mode and the song No Quarter by Led Zeppelin (live 1973) came on and it shows how much of a positive influence John Paul Jones has on the rest of the band.

Even if you do not like Led Zeppelin, try to listen to their music to try to understand why people talk about them as a pivotal band to introduce a blended sound, genre, and style (rock, blues, jazz etc.).

The three other band members are all very talented and shine on their own. However, notice how John Paul Jones lays a foundation of groove and melody so the other three have the blanket to deliver their best. As a band member his focus, without any ego, is to serve the song, the other band members and in turn the listeners’ experience.

Similarly, every team will shine when there is at least one team member focused on the success of the team and project without any ego and ulterior motive. This was one of the main lessons I learned early on in my career. Every project and team I work with, my focus is always to serve the end result of successful project and satisfied client. Make sure that the experience is positive, memorable, and everyone learns something and improves.

Let us help you and your team climb those mountains and help you shine.

“Help someone climb a mountain and find out that you too reached the top.”

#teamwork #support #music #climb #shine #foundation #implementation