1. Consulting Goals Establish a Collaborative Relationship Promises maximum use of people’s resources Spreads the responsibility for success or failure Do it! Don’t just talk it! Solve Problems So They Stay Solved Can act in a way to get problem solved and not learn anything about cause Alternative is to find out cause and deal with it Consultant may be doing the job of the manager – be careful!

2. Consulting Goals (cont.) Ensure Attention Is Given to Both the Technical/Business Problem and the Relationship Technical/business problem Way people are interacting around that problem Consultants have unique opportunity to urge attention to the process issues and be listened to

3. Building Internal Commitment Key to consultant leverage and impact Can’t order client to take action Process of removing obstacles Consultants believe their thinking is clear and logical, wording is eloquent and convictions are solid, arguments are strong Client and colleagues will have doubts and dilemmas that block commitment!

4. Roles Consultants Take Expert Role Manager plays and inactive role Decision on how to proceed are made by the consultant Information needed for problem analysis gathered by consultant Technical control rests with consultant Collaboration is not required 2-way communication is limited Manager’s role is to evaluate after the fact

5. (cont.) Pair of Hands Role Consultant takes a passive role Decisions on how to proceed are made by the manager Manager selects methods for data collection and analysis Control rests wit the manager Collaboration is not necessary 2-way communication is limited Manager specifies change procedures for the consultant to implement Manager’s role is to judge and evaluate from a close distance Consultant’s role is to make the systems more effective by the application of specialized knowledge

6. (cont.) Collaborative Role Consultant and the manager work to become interdependent Decision making is bilateral Data collection and analysis are joint efforts Control issues become matters for discussion and negotiation Collaboration is considered essential Communication is 2-way Implementation responsibilities are determined by discussion and agreement Consultant’s goal is to solve problems so they stay solved

7. Staging the Client’s Involvement Define the initial problem Deciding to proceed with the project Selecting dimensions to be undertaken Decision who will be involved in the project Selecting the method Data collection Funneling the data Data summary Data analysis Feedback of results Making recommendations Decision on actions Assessing the balance of responsibility

8. Assessing the Balance of Responsibility Take the previous list and draw a line beside it. Then make 2 columns – one for client and one for consultant Put a mark on the line showing who has the responsibility for each of the items – client vs. consultant – 50%/50% should be the midpoint. Where do you believe the point in the line should be for each item?

9. Completing the Requirements of Each Phase Contracting Negotiating wants Coping with mixed emotions Surfacing concerns about exposure and loss of control Triangular and rectangular contracting

10. (cont.) Discovery and data collection Layers of analysis Political climate Resistance to sharing information Interview as a joint learning event

11. (cont.) Feedback and the decision to act Funneling data Presenting personal and organizational data Managing the feedback meeting Focusing on the here and now Don’t take it personally!

12. (cont.) Engagement and Implementation Bet on engagement over mandate and persuasion Design more participation than presentation Encourage difficult public exchanges Put real choice on the table Change the conversation to change the culture Pay attention to place

13. If I…. Know my area of expertise (a given), Behave authentically with the client, Tend to and complete the business of each consulting phase, and Act to build capacity for the client to solve the next problem on their own….

14. I can legitimately say I have consulted flawlessly! Your challenge: Can you say that? Did you hold yourself accountable for your own actions and were you aware of yourself? Then I….

15. Contracting How do you set up a project? How do you measure consulting effectiveness? Can you act as an umpire and helper at the same time? What do you do to elicit client expectations? How do you establish trust? What are consulting skills anyhow? When do we break for lunch? ….and on and on.

16. What is a Contract? Explicit agreement of what the consultant and client expect from each other and how they are going to work together

17. Contracting Skills To contract flawlessly is to Behave authentically, and Complete the business of the contracting phase

18. You should be able to: Ask direct questions about who the client is and who the less visible parties to the contract are Elicit the client’s expectations of you Clearly and simply state what you want from the client Say no or postpone a project that in your judgment has less than a 50/50 chance of success Probe directly for the client’s underlying concerns about losing control Probe directly for the client’s underlying concerns about exposure and vulnerability Give direct verbal support to the client When the contracting meeting is not going well, discuss directly with the client why this contracting meeting is not going well

19. Elements of a Contract Boundaries of your analysis Objectives of the project To solve a particular technical/business problem To teach the client how to solve the problem for themselves next time To improve how the organization manages its resources, uses its systems and works internally The kind of information you seek Your role in the project The product you will deliver What support and involvement you need from the client Time schedule Confidentiality Feedback to you later

20. Ground Rules for Contracting Responsibility for every relationship is 50/50 Should be entered into freely Can’t get something for nothing All wants are legitimate You can say no to what others want from you You don’t always get what you want You can contract for behavior, you can’t contract for the other person to change their feelings You can’t ask for something the other person doesn’t have You can’t promise something that you don’t have to deliver You can’t contract with someone who’s not in the room, such as clients’ bosses or subordinates – must have agreement directly with them Write down contracts when you can. Most are broken out of neglect, not intent Social contracts are always renegotiable Contracts require specific time deadlines or duration Good contracts require good faith and often accidental good fortune

21. Navigating the Contracting Meeting Personal acknowledgement Communicate understanding of the problem Client wants and offers Consultant wants and offers Reaching agreement Asking for feedback about control and commitment Ask client: is this project something that you really want to see happen? Are you satisfied with the way we have agreed to set it up? Ask client: Do feel you have enough control over how this project is going to proceed? Give support Restate actions

22. (cont.) Getting stuck on wants and offers When you hear yourself explaining something for the 3 rd time When you notice the client diving into the third explanation of the same idea Your body will give you clear message that you are getting stuck You eyes give you the best cues that a contracting process has bogged down

23. (cont.) Think/Recess New wants and offers Stuck again Process how we are handling this discussion Re-discuss wants and offers If still stuck-terminate/minimize your investment

24. Planning a Contracting Meeting What imbalance do you expect in the responsibility for this project? What do you want from the client? What are you offering the client? What do you think the client might want? Are the key clients going to be in the room? Who can make a decision on proceeding with this project? Who will be strongly affected by this project? Who is missing from the meeting? What are their roles? What resistance do you anticipate? What are the conditions under which it would be best not to proceed?

25. Reviewing the Contracting Meeting How would you rate? Balance of participation? Who initiated? Who had control? What resistance or reservations did the client express Which did you explore directly, in works, with the client? Which did not really explore? What reservations do you have about the contract? Which did you put into words with the client? Which did you express indirectly or not at all? How did you give support to the client?

26. (cont.) Who were the client's concerns expressed: Silence? Compliance? Attack? Questions? Giving answers? Directly, in words? What facial and body language did you observe? How would you rate the client’s motivation to proceed? How would you rate your own motivation to proceed? What didn’t you express to the client? Did you skip any steps in navigating the contracting meeting? What would you do differently next time?