Hi! My name is Alejandro Gutierrez. I am currently freelancing for marketing and biz dev in the Baltimore area while I do this course, and others, and look for work starting around march. I do web consulting work as well via a friend’s company in Santiago, Chile, my second home.
I am from Harrisburg, PA, an alumnus of Loyola Maryland. I enjoy soccer, snowboarding, audiobooks and podcasts, working out and yoga, and good times with good folks doing good stuff.
- What have you learned about yourself in your previous classes that you feel will be important for you to keep in mind as you progress through this class?
I did the Strengthsfinder test in Appreciate Inquiry, and the results were heavily concentrated in the “Strategy” area of things – recognizing patterns and deriving results or salient themes, constructing action plans and metrics, distilling goals, and efficiency focus. Definitely want to keep these attributes in mind and develop them within the context of the course.
Also, in WFED 572 , I learned from the extra webinars that the OD field is not particularly strong in technology and its use, as well as various applications related to consulting and businesses. I realized that my startup and marketing experience is fairly unique, as many come from more HR-type roles, and I plan on using that.
- What do you see as the biggest challenge you would face in marketing yourself as an OD consultant?
I am not the most traditional “corporate” type of person. It’s an air I have to strongly put on if I want to come off as “professional” in that context. I fear this might be somewhat of an issue, as many industries are more of the legacy type, and people seem like they feel fairly unsure of the necessity of them paying for consulting, and so it seems that one MUST have a very professional, stuffy air to build that sort of trust with potential clients. I hope that’s not entirely the case.
