Although it can often be quicker, more empowering, and (in some cases) even necessary to make a decision without seeking the input or opinion of others, are there really advantages to leveraging additional insight from outside? 

Organizing a solid round of independent and objective critiques can take additional effort and time to coordinate, but there are definite advantages to soliciting the input of others during your decision-making process. Obviously, it can help to surface additional considerations that you might have not thought about. It can leverage a wider-range of experience than you yourself might personally possess. It can tease out some biases you may not be aware of. Sometimes someone else's ideas can stimulate new ideas from you. In addition, if you seek input from members of your client's organization, it can help to provide you with additional support and ownership for the implementation of a particular solution.

Tip: Seeking input from others can actually be interpreted by others as a sign of a consultant's strength and not a weakness. This can make for a more complex process at times, but often the results make the extra effort very worthwhile.

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