Luckily the first book I selected to read this summer was Seth Godin's, "The Dip." I was able to read the whole thing in a few hours and you could too. "The Dip" talks about the lull that many people and businesses experience after they start something new. Applied to safety consulting, this would be the dip that occurs after the excitement of starting and running a new business wears off. Seth Godin argues that many people jump off at this point, whether it occurs weeks, months or even years into the project. Basically, he says that too many people just don't stick it out long enough to see real success. Seth is also very realistic and talks about why the popular expression, "Winners never quit and quitters never win" is wrong. Sometimes it is perfectly okay, and even smart, to quit and just quitting should always be an option for all of us.
One section of the book called "Facing the Dip," provides great advice for safety consultants just starting out. Consulting can be very exciting in the beginning but eventually, most consultants will hit a dip. Many new consultants will get discouraged and move on to something else but the ones that can perservere through the dip, can eventually come out successful on the other end. On the other hand, when you are in a dip and so miserable that you think consulting could never work for you, you have nothing to lose. Having nothing to lose makes you quite powerful. You can try new tactics with very little risk and these new approaches can be just what is needed to get through the dip. To read more on all of Seth's ideas, spend a few hours and read through (and take notes!) "The Dip."
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