A consultant manages client relations and expectations.
How does the consultant effectively achieve those goals? Can you share personal experiences, either as a consultant or a client?
Your post must be at least 300 words, formatted and cited in proper APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources
Module 4 Overview
Topics
- Disengaging
- Testimonials and References
- Coaching and Facilitating
- Conflict Resolution and Negotiating
- Teams and Groups
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this week, students will be able to:
- Evaluate the process of developing, establishing, and marketing consulting services; the functions of consulting; and consulting practices and techniques.
- Examine key factors and concepts related to consulting engagements, and assess and integrate the interrelationships.
- Evaluate and present assessment of issues and organizational challenges from the perspective of a consultant.
- Assess and align individual strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, skills, aptitudes, and goals with consulting opportunities and the processes and interventions involved in the consulting domain.
Read & Review
- Weiss (2011): Chapters 9–11
- Week 4 PowerPoint
- Week 4 Lecture Notes
Module 4 Lecture Notes
Developing Skills for Successful Consulting
- Essential Skills for Strategy Consulting
- Impeccable researching skills (desk research, telephone interviewing, and face-to-face)
- Outstanding analysis and synthesis skills (e.g., the ability to delve into deep data analysis and then synthesize the key messages, or the “so whats”)
- Excellent written communication (to produce Word and PowerPoint reports)
- Strong PowerPoint presentation creation (essential for developing client presentation packs late at night!)
- Commitment to delivering excellent client service (i.e., the desire to put in the long hours when you have to ensure a quality deliverable for the client)
- Consultancy Skills Development
- Independence
- Understanding
- The Five Fatal Flaws of Consulting
- The project is defined in terms of the consultant’s expertise or products, not in terms of the specific client results to be achieved.
- The project’s scope is determined solely by the subject to be studied or the problem to be solved, ignoring the client’s readiness for change.
- The project aims for one big solution rather than incremental successes.
- The project entails a sharp division of responsibility between client and consultant; there is no partnership between them.
- The project makes labor-intensive use of consultants instead of leveraged use
- The 10 Commandments of Consulting
- Concentrate continually on delivering client value.
- Commit all stakeholders to action.
- Clarify complex client issues.
- Communicate authentically.
- Collaborate with the client.
- Conduct a “willing and able” assessment.
- Control scope creep.
- Compress the cycle time of delivery.
- Customize each solution.
- Continually learn and grow.
- Consultants Must Have These Four Capabilities
- Technical expertise
- Relationship skills
- Engagement management
- Business acumen
- The Consulting Process
- Relationship skills
- Contracting
- Assessment
- Delivery
- Feedback
- Solution & design
- Integration
- Closure & renewal
- Business Acumen Success Elements
- See the bigger strategic issues facing the client.
- Be able to define business solutions.
- Possess process knowledge of the functional area of the business and industry sector.
- Define change management issues.
- Understand the competitive landscape.
- Provide relevant skills, strategies, tools, and ideas to the client.
- Use knowledge and experience to build strong rapport and sustainable relationships with the client.
- Six Elements in Building Strong Consulting Relationships
- Decorum
- Commonality
- Empathy
- Credibility
- Value
- Trust
- Probing
- Open probe – When you want to allow the client to respond freely to gain general information or when you want to encourage expansion
- Closed probe – When you want to limit the client’s response to uncover specific information or when you want to confirm your understanding
- The Four I’s Probing Strategy
- Issues
- Importance
- Impact
- Investigate