As a card of the Suit of Wands, the Three of Wands Tarot card is a Minor Arcana card. This means that a person has a direct or complete control over its effect in a situation, as opposed to a Major Arcana card, which can show a direct influence but not direct control over the effects in that situation or interaction.
The Three of Wands represents the personal feelings and choices one makes in regard to work as well as dating and other social interactions like family and close friends. On a larger scale, the Wands represent actions. The Three of Wands represents choosing which actions to take in order to achieve a desired goal. When it appears in a consult, it shows us thoughts about to turn into actual actions in regard to the subject in question; making the conscious decision to move in a particular direction instead of another.
Reversed in a consult, it can show indecision or inability to choose which path one should go down. It can also show us faults in the foundational process of a person's thinking, which manifest themselves later on in the framework or final building process of an endeavor. It also reflects back on the earlier efforts of the cards that come before it. The benefit over, say, a Major Arcana card showing up reversed is that being a Minor Arcana card, the person is in direct control.