Do You Really Need That Lob Wedge?

Have you ever really needed that lob wedge in your golf bag? I mean really needed it—like there was no other way to make the shot, and your score depended on holing out? Maybe that moment has come for you. If so, you were glad you carried that club around for the 764 holes where you never once thought about using it.

Sometimes in life, a very specific tool makes all the difference. But a few months ago, I had an epiphany: in consulting, that “perfect tool” usually isn’t what determines success.

As a client, I always thought I needed the consultant with the exact skillset and background. If I was paying a solid bill rate, then surely I deserved someone who could show up on Day 1, flip open the playbook, and solve my exact problem—because they had solved it before. My business was unique, of course, but I still expected the magical consultant who had “seen it all.”

On the other side of the table—as the consultant or consulting leader—I often found myself pitching that exact match. The so-called “purple unicorn.” Someone who looked perfect on paper, who had done countless similar projects and could surely do this one too. They were magical, rare, and expensive.

But when I looked back over the years, I realized something: even when I or another consultant truly was the perfect match, that didn’t guarantee success. What mattered more were the intangibles: the ability to build trust, partner well, navigate politics, adapt quickly, and see a project through. Baseline skills are necessary, but they aren’t the deciding factor.

One of the best consultants I ever worked with called himself a “smokejumper.” Like the firefighters who parachute into wildfires, he could drop into almost any situation and, within days, figure out:
a) how to keep things afloat in the short term,
b) where the real fires were, and
c) a plan to get the project back on track.

His value wasn’t in niche technical expertise. It was in listening, relationship-building, and connecting organizational dots faster than anyone else.

Here’s the point: choosing the right consultant is less about an exact skillset and more about fit—the ability to jump in, team with you, and drive results. There is no “ideal” consultant.

And yet, every time I pull my clubs out of the car, I still wonder: will today be the day I wish I had that lob wedge?