Lara Smith on Making the Shift to Consulting from Nonprofit Life
As a type-A person, I’ve always been good at checking things off to-do lists. But how do we make sure we’re always working towards our legacy, as people, and as organizations? This is going to sound dark, but every year I write my obituary as a way to keep my why as a North Star. Five years ago, as I worked on it, I identified that it’s my purpose in life to help people and organizations reach their full potential. I have loved getting to do it at Dad’s, because I am able to have a deep impact on staff and a more shallow impact on every single person who walks through the door.
So when Susannah reached out to me last fall to see if I was interested in facilitating some board retreats for Purpose Possible, I jumped at the chance. I have been toying with the idea of being a consultant for (literally) years, but never knew how to dip my toe in the water. Working within the structure of an existing firm was extremely appealing because it meant I could try things out without a huge commitment on my part.
I always knew that when I left Dad’s Garage, I wanted to give the organization plenty of notice so that I could leave the organization in as stable a position as possible. I told the board of directors that it was time in October 2020. I thought I wanted another full-time job. I started looking. And at the same time, the number of clients I had in my portfolio increased.
As I reflected on the best way to reach my purpose, I realized that consulting would allow me to have a breadth of impact that wouldn’t be possible at a single organization. I can focus on the things I excel at and love (big picture thinking, coaching, storytelling) and work with clients that serve so many different constituencies.
Purpose Possible has been wonderful for me because there are so many other consultants that I can bounce ideas off of (coming from an improv theatre, I’m definitely used to working in groups!) and leverage expertise from. Purpose Possible has only been around for a short time, and yet I’ve already had the opportunity to work with twelve different groups. Their missions run the gamut from breaking the cycle of poverty using dirt bike culture to providing identification to individuals experiencing homelessness to bringing world class photography to Atlanta and everything in between.
In a world that feels increasingly specialized, I really didn’t know what I was going to do with my generalist background. In my eleven years of leading organizations, I learned a little bit about a lot of things. I can speak for a couple of minutes about topics ranging from City zoning codes to capital campaigns to professional development practices. I believe it’s a leader's job to hear the best idea, not to have it. And it’s a true gift to be able to leverage these skills every single day for the clients we serve.