There’s an old joke about a drunk man looking for his keys under a lamppost. Someone stops and offers to help. He asks, “So, did you lose your keys here?” The drunk replies “No, I lost them over there, but here’s where the light is.”

I routinely talk to people who have strong technical skills and who want to go into consulting. They usually think that the main thing they need to do next is improve their technical skills. Maybe they know five programming languages but believe learning a sixth one would really open up opportunities. (Invariably the five languages they know are in demand and the sixth is not.) Or they have a graduate degree in math but believe there’s an area of math they need to learn more about.

They’re looking for their keys under the lamppost. And I completely understand. I would rather learn another programing language, for example, than go to a conference and hustle for work.

There’s something to be said for improving your strengths rather than your weaknesses, unless your weaknesses are the rate limiting factor. If sales are holding you back, for example, then you need to learn to be better at sales.

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