10 CONSULTING BARRIERS: AND HOW

TO ADDRESS THEM

• Experience as a Guide to Improving Consulting Performance

• Effort to More “Flawlessly Consult”

• Applicable to Internal, External Consultants

(Consulting to Management Journal: 9/01)

‘Flawless’ Consulting?Peter Block (1981)

Putting into words what consultant experiences (thinks/feels) with the client.

Using interpersonal and technical consulting skills:

Reflecting; Confronting;

Clarifying; Inquiring

Introduces “Authenticity:”

Congruence between thoughts,

feelings, actions.

Focuses on relationship with

client – not tasks or problems.

Absence/use of authentic behavior

impacts consultant effectiveness.

“AUTHENTIC :”

•Manager says: “I want people to work collaboratively.”

•Consultant observes: low participation in management meetings + Manager verbal criticisms of subordinate ideas during meetings.

•Consultant response: “There seems to be a discrepancy between saying you want teamwork, and your criticisms of others’ comments during meetings. Do you think there’s a gap between what you say and what you do?”

“INAUTHENTIC:”

•Manager says: “I want people to work collaboratively – in teams.”

•Consultant observes: low participation in management meetings and Manager verbal criticisms of subordinate ideas during meetings.

•Consultant response: Ignores interaction .

WHY DO FLAWLESS CONSULTING?

(Block)

• Have expertise better utilized.• Have recommendations implemented.• Develop internal client commitment.• Increase leverage you have on

clients.• Solve problems, once & for all.

EFFECTIVENESS

AUTHENTICITY CREDIBILITY

“DILEMMAS:”

A Checklist to Help ConsultantsRe-define – or Abandon – the

Relationship

#1: “Not Sure Who is the Client?”

Example: Manager contracts your services but V.P. makes all the important decisions about your scope of work, reporting relationships, stakeholders to be involved in the project, etc.

How to Recognize: Manager cannot make timely decisions because has to check with boss; client cannot easily explain scope of work or other key elements of the project; client acknowledges other "players" involved, but are not available to meet with you.

Options: (a) Withdraw from project; (b) Show client contact the advantages of meeting with key stakeholders in the project; (c) Convince H.R. Director to form Steering Committee, with some key stakeholders as members, to guide consulting project.

#2: “Client is Passive-Aggressive”

Example: Client says, "Everything is fine," while others tell you that client puts up barriers to successful project completion.

How to Recognize; Project team members tell you they cannot get required resources from client; or, project activities are being "sabotaged" by the client.

Options: (a) Confront client and spell-out alternatives to this behavior; (b) Practice active listening with client to demonstrate understanding of his/her position, and to clearly define mutual expectations; (c) If dilemma cannot be resolved, withdraw from project .

#3: "People Are Unwilling to Cooperate with Your Interventions."

Example: People who should be involved with the project, but are not in decision-making “loop." They respond by overtly or covertly resisting the project.

How to Recognize: Needed resources are unavailable because Office Manager thinks she can contribute to project, but is not invited to meetings; or, people involved say they do not have enough authority to make needed decisions relating to the consulting effort.

Options: (a) Work with client to identify people who can "stifle" the project, and solicit their opinions; (b) Ask client to substitute other people for those who are resisting progress of the project

#4: "Your Client is Being Deceptive or Evasive."

Example: Hidden agendas, issues about mutual trust that negatively affect your presence there.

How to Recognize: key decisions are delayed; client not behaving authentically (per definition, above); client unavailable for meetings; key agreements with client not being honored.

Options: (a) Model authenticity to client and actively listen for problems, barriers, and hidden agendas; (b) Re-state project goals, and request the client to re-commit to them; (c) Withdraw from project.

#5: “Client Expectations Are Too High or Too Low."

Example: Client expects you to "fix" everything, or “turn things around;” may want you to go through the motions of providing service because of need to spend down budget, satisfy legal requirements, etc. Or, consultant may have unrealistic expectations of client - for example, expecting project to be completed within unrealistic time frame.

How to Recognize: Project participants quick to decide without sufficient discussion among project stakeholders; client's expectations don’t match your expertise; client has successful experience with previous consultant, and expects you to behave in exactly the same way.

Options: (a) Negotiate realistic expectations with the client before beginning work on the project, and include these in the consulting contract; (b) Periodically meet with client & review progress against expectations.

#6: “Client is Disorganized and/or Confused”

Example: Project is stymied and responsibilities for task completion are unclear, or absent.

Ways to Recognize: Client and/or other project stakeholders have difficulty focusing on the topic at-hand; project priorities suddenly shift; decisions are reversed, or put on-hold; decision-makers can’t be identified.

Options: (a) Offer to help client decide on priorities, responsibilities, time frames for task completion, etc.; (b) Re-negotiate time frames, priorities, responsibilities, etc.; (c) If feasible, work with client to strategize how to obtain widespread organizational commitment to key priorities and tasks.

#7: “Project Priorit ies Confl ict With Each Other.”

Example: Client, other stakeholders may not agree on the priorities for the consulting project. This conflict will likely generate confusion and unnecessary resistance to project.

Ways to Recognize: Key people absent from project meetings, and/or do not follow-through on agreed-upon assignments; people engage in "backstabbing" and other inauthentic behaviors; "finger-pointing" when key tasks not accomplished.

Options: (a) Authentically confront observed behaviors with the people involved, & try to gain commitment to the project; (b) Meet with the key stakeholders to brainstorm priorities, and secure their contractual commitments to these priorities; (c) Withdraw.

#8: “You Don’t Have Authority Over the Project.”Example: Purchasing Dept. Director makes all the important decisions, and treats you more as an employee than a consultant.

Ways to Recognize: Client is telling you what to do, how to do it; client tells you to "Check with me first" before you make any decisions; you FEEL you are more an employee than a consultant.

Options: (a) Make sure your contract with the client spells out limits of your authority; (b) Confront client with what you are experiencing about your role, and negative consequences of being an "employee;" (c) Use situation to negotiate respective roles and responsibilities with client.

#9: “You Don’t Trust Your Own Judgement.”Example: Drives to get paid, to build a client base, to succeed, to be seen as effective are reasons to forge ahead with a project, even though you know that all is not well. In spite of this, you ignore better judgment and go forward.

Ways to Recognize: Consultant dismisses, minimizes, serious problems with client or project; consultant finds him/herself adopting some of the inauthentic behaviors of the client organization; you are simply not providing the results you promised, and are unwilling to confront this.

Options: (a) Ask colleague to review situation with you, the consultant, and help you decide what to do; (b) Split project into phases - give parts of the project to others who can do a better job than you; (c) Withdraw.

#10: “Consultant Lacks Courage to Deal With # 1-9 ”Example: The issue of personal integrity surfaces whenever consultant deliberately chooses to behave and communicate INAUTHENTICALLY with the client; to please client, or to maintain consulting relationship, consultant knowingly does and says that which he or she knows is wrong, or ineffective.

Ways to Recognize: Client expresses confusion over consultant's behavior; consultant experiences cognitive dissonance with respect to his/her relationship to the project; others confront the consultant about his/her inauthentic behavior.

Options: (a) If external consultant, withdraw from the project and from consulting work; (b) If either external or internal, learn from and adopt the courageous and risk-taking behaviors of others; (c) Take small steps toward behaving authentically, building up to more courage and competency.

THANK YOU!

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