From Perspective to Practice
Leveraging Your Unique Vantage Point as a Social Impact Consultant
I’m thrilled to have written a newsletter with Heidi Overbeck, a remarkable strategist who has dedicated her career to advancing social causes and building bridges across political divides. When I sat down with Heidi to discuss her journey as an independent consultant in the social impact space, one theme kept emerging: the unique power of perspective that consultants bring to their work. Now approaching her two-year mark as an independent consultant, Heidi’s story offers valuable insights for anyone navigating this path.
Heidi is the founder of Taproot Solutions, a strategic consulting firm that helps mission-driven organizations flourish through communications, program, and management support. What makes Heidi’s approach so unique is her ability to see connections that others miss – a skill she’s honed over 20 years of working at the intersection of philanthropy, communications, and social change.
Heidi has this remarkable ability to forge pathways to progress. She brings a unique perspective that allows her to spot opportunities for cross-pollination – seeing how a strategy that worked in one sector might be brilliantly applied to another. It’s this bird’s-eye view combined with hands-on expertise that makes her such a valuable partner to mission-driven organizations.
The Strategic Advantage of the Consultant’s Perspective
Before becoming an independent consultant, Heidi worked at the Gill Foundation where she gained deep expertise in philanthropy. But prior to that, she worked at PR firms where she managed multiple clients across different sectors.
“What I loved about my time in PR was that I got exposure to all of these different issues and projects,” Heidi explained. “It was constantly feeding my brain. I was learning about all kinds of issues and figuring out the best strategies and tactics for each client. It was really exhilarating.”
Cross pollination?
This multi-sector experience provided Heidi with a powerful advantage: the ability to see connections that others couldn’t.
“There was a tremendous opportunity for cross-pollination,” she noted. “I could see that this tactic in women’s economic issues, for instance, would actually do really well in water conservation. It was wonderful to be able to make those connections.”
Leveraging Your Cross-Sector Experience
For Heidi, the transition back to consulting allowed her to combine her communications expertise with her newly acquired knowledge of philanthropy, creating a powerful value proposition.
“I learned a lot more about philanthropy, strategic planning, and interacting with boards from my time at Gill. I had this whole new set of tools that I could take into the consulting space,” Heidi said. “What is making my life as a consultant rewarding and bringing in great work is that I can pair my communications skills with that philanthropic point of view.”
This combination of experience has opened doors to projects where a cross-sector, cross-issue perspective offers tremendous value.
I’m guiding the strategic planning efforts of the communications department at a foundation supporting human rights at the same time that I’m developing narratives designed to position transit advocacy as a philanthropic strategy for advancing other issues. At first glance the work is quite different, but there are patterns and learnings across projects that help me elevate the work for each client. I can offer a distinct set of tools and perspective, because I have that experience at the intersection of comms and philanthropy.
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Building Systems to Maintain Your Bird’s-Eye View
One challenge many consultants face is maintaining that valuable cross-sector perspective while deep in client work. Heidi acknowledges this tension:
“What Gill allowed me to do was to dive deep in a way that as a consultant you never can. But at times, I also felt a little bit ensnared in the weeds. It wasn’t always easy to offer that bird’s-eye perspective I had so valued and provided as a consultant.”
As an independent consultant, Heidi now consciously works to maintain her bird’s-eye view by:
Participating in consultant communities to exchange ideas and perspectives
Balancing deep client work with time for strategic thinking
Intentionally seeking projects across different areas of the social impact space
“I’m trying to be more disciplined about participating in consultant communities,” she said. “If you aren’t participating in those communities, other consultants aren’t going to think of you when they need support or have a client looking for somebody who does your exact thing.”
A birds-eye view?
Practical Advice for Leveraging Your Perspective
As independent consultants in the social impact space, our unique perspective -- gained from a diversity of experiences -- is often our most valuable asset. Here are concrete strategies to maximize this advantage:
1. Position your cross-sector experience as a unique value
When marketing yourself, explicitly highlight how your experience across different organizations and issues gives you unique insights that can benefit clients. Create case studies that demonstrate how you’ve successfully applied strategies from one sector to solve problems in another.
Heidi shares:
At the end of each project, I take time to do a ‘post-project analysis’ on everything from my actual hours against projected hours and effective billable rate to successes achieved and lessons learned. Taking the time for that analysis and documentation gives me valuable insights and examples to bring into the next lead – not to mention helping me better value my work.
Help clients understand that your external perspective is precisely what makes you valuable. Frame your recommendations not as criticisms but as opportunities that are more visible from your vantage point. Use phrases like “From my work with similar organizations, I’ve noticed...” to contextualize your insights.
Remember that your ability to see connections across different contexts is a strategic advantage that organizations desperately need in an increasingly complex social impact landscape. By intentionally nurturing and leveraging this perspective, you provide value that internal teams or more narrowly focused consultants simply cannot match.
2. Create systems for knowledge synthesis
Develop a personal knowledge management system to capture insights across projects. This could be as simple as a digital notebook organized by themes rather than clients, allowing you to spot patterns and connections. Schedule regular time to review these notes and identify cross-cutting strategies.
“I’m fastidious about taking notes, creating ‘scratchpads’ for idea generation, and versioning my work,” Heidi explained. “Those early approaches and turns of phrase that might evolve out of a final work product for one client might be the genesis of something perfect for another client.”
Schedule regular “strategic thinking” blocks in your calendar where you step back from immediate deliverables to consider broader patterns and opportunities. Protect this time as rigorously as you would client meetings – it’s essential for maintaining your strategic edge.
For me, that happens best if I step away from my computer to think the big thoughts. And I have two dogs that need a long midday walk, so that time is baked into my every day. And should any particularly inspired thinking strike, I make sure to have my phone on me to capture my thoughts in a voice memo.
3. Maintain intellectual diversity
Deliberately seek out projects in different areas of social impact to keep your perspective fresh. Consider occasionally taking on pro bono work in unfamiliar sectors if it expands your knowledge base in valuable ways. Subscribe to publications and join communities outside your immediate specialty. Many smaller nonprofits are on the hunt for members for their Board of Directors, which is a great way to gain new experience and perspective.
“There was a moment when I considered stepping off a board to try to make space for more consulting work, but I realized how valuable that service was for me, both personally and professionally,” Heidi said.
If you aren’t participating in those communities, other consultants aren’t going to think of you when they need support or have a client looking for somebody who does your exact thing.
Actively participate in communities both within and outside your specialty. These connections provide business opportunities and also expose you to different approaches and methodologies that can inform your work.
The Consultant’s Journey: A Three-Year Framework
While these practical strategies can help you maximize the value of your unique perspective, it’s also important to understand how your consulting journey may evolve over time. As Heidi reflects on approaching her two-year mark, she offers a helpful framework for understanding the psychological journey of becoming a consultant:
Year one was the ‘Oh shit’ year. Year two I’m hitting my stride—that feeling of ‘Absolutely, I can do this!’ Year three might be, ‘What does this look like going forward?’
This three-stage progression could serve as a roadmap for new consultants. Initial anxiety is normal. Hold your nerve, because there is eventual stability that comes with experience.
The Evolution from Survival to Strategy
Like many new consultants, Heidi’s first year was marked by uncertainty. Despite having clients from day one, she experienced several moments where she questioned her decision.
“My first year was quite a lot of ‘Did I make a terrible decision? Can I consistently support myself with this work?’” she shared. “Even though the answer was, out of the gates, yes—I had engagements, I had a consistent flow of business—it still felt terrifying.”
This anxiety manifested in practical ways, particularly around finances:
I had heard from somebody that I needed to make sure that my business bank account had three months worth of pay in it. And for the first nine months to 12 months, I only had enough to pay myself month to month. I was zeroing out my account every time I got paid.
But as she approached the one-year mark, things began to shift:
All of the invoices came due. I had all of these projects on an end-of-year timeline. So I submitted work, sent in the invoices, and all of a sudden I opened up my business bank account and there was my three month’s worth of pay. It just took 12 months to get there.
The Teammate Dynamic: A Fresh Perspective on Client Relationships
One unexpected benefit Heidi discovered in consulting was the collaborative nature of client relationships compared to organizational hierarchies.
“There is a thought partner, teammate quality with my clients that I’m just loving,” Heidi shared. “It’s a very different experience from managing a team in an organizational setting, and I’m relishing the opportunity to roll up my sleeves and do more of the work.”
Unlike traditional workplace dynamics where hierarchy can inhibit collaboration, consulting creates more equal partnerships. Clients and consultants work side by side, bringing their respective expertise to the table without the complications of organizational politics.
Heidi shared a story of doing message testing for a client. The message Heidi thought would perform best actually flopped. Rather than being reluctant to share this finding, Heidi told me, “I couldn’t wait to get on the call with the client and talk through why our initial assumptions were off. It’s that quality of being curious, authentic, and willing to learn from failures. Clients want your expertise, yes, but they also want genuine thought partnership and a willingness to try new things, even when there’s a risk of failing – it’s how we all improve!”
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Embracing the Consultant’s Journey: Finding Your Unique Value
As we’ve explored throughout this piece, the journey of an independent consultant in the social impact space is both challenging and rewarding. Heidi’s experience illuminates how leveraging your unique perspective across sectors can become your greatest asset in providing exceptional value to clients.
The power of cross-pollination—taking insights from one field and applying them to another—creates innovative solutions that organizations simply cannot develop from within. This bird’s-eye view, combined with deep expertise in specific areas, positions consultants as invaluable strategic partners.
Whether you’re in your “Oh shit” first year, hitting your stride in year two, or contemplating your long-term consulting future, remember that your diverse experiences and ability to see connections across different contexts is your competitive advantage in a crowded marketplace.
What has been your experience leveraging cross-sector insights in your consulting work? Have you found ways to maintain a strategic perspective while deep in client projects? Share your thoughts in the comments!