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On the Eve of Destruction

By Alan Weiss

I’m intrigued by consultants coming to me for coaching help who have dug a hole for themselves, become aware of their predicament, and consequently resumed digging with even more vigor. “A fanatic,” said philosopher George Santayana, “is someone who loses sight of his goal and consequently redoubles his efforts.”

Too many times the client (or prospect) presents us with an alternative and asks us to “bid” on how well we can implement it. I’d venture to say this may even be the majority of the time. Consultants rush to please the client (often a non-buyer, such as a human resource manager or training director) and compete on price.

In fact, we should be finding the real buyer and asking the question, “Why are you attempting this solution?”

There’s No Darn Reason—It’s Just Our Policy

These days you’ll hear ridiculous requests such as, “We want to move our company from good to great.” Or, “We want a world-class customer experience.” Or, “We want employees who are delighted to work here.” Or, “We want to improve our training offerings.”

Yes, but why?

When you attempt to implement a project in which…

            • The client does not have inclusion or buy-in of implementers
            • The client executives have no intention of being active supporters and exemplars
            • The time frames and/or investment are clearly insufficient or unreasonable
            • There is no precedent for ever achieving such a change
            • There is organized opposition
            • There is no darned rational reason for doing it…

you are not going to be successful. Worse, you have led the client down the garden path because you desperately wanted the business and didn’t have the wherewithal to question the client’s judgment or plans.

Consultants wonder why they don’t get more repeat business. Certainly one of the primary causes is that they take projects which don’t have a surfer’s chance in calm waters of moving toward the beach, but they nevertheless take the money and “run.” The failure of the project is blamed on—guess who?—the consultant, since we all know that management is omniscient.

You do your client a huge favor and establish a unique positioning when you “push back” and simply ask, “Why?” There is no conceivable reason to move a company from “good to great” unless there are specific performance outcomes and commensurate metrics.

It’s always high on the list of the training department to improve training offerings, but it is rare to find any training offering that provides measurable business results, “improved” or otherwise. (And please don’t start with those simplistic “four levels” of measurement. The only thing that counts is improved, measured business results.)

Creating “delighted employees” sounds great, unless, of course, you wind up spending more money to delight them without any increase in performance, meaning that you’ve actually lost money.

On the Ice, with a Flame Thrower

To accept assignments without questioning the result to be achieved and the very basic organization development criteria bulleted above is negligent. Walking on thin ice is one thing, but it’s another to be carrying a flame thrower, which is turned on and pointed at your feet. You’re in for a short trip.

Saving a client from folly is worth a lot. Suggesting an alternative to the folly is highly valuable. And the ensuing trust from working in such a partnership is truly invaluable. Buyers are usually getting bad advice from internal people who are concerned about their jobs, politics, turf, and risk in general. That’s why they turn to us. (If there were brilliant and fearless internal consulting capabilities, none of us would have jobs as independent consultants.)

More times than you think, prospects and clients come to us with an arbitrary solution to a perceived problem. Both the problem and solution are usually wrong, or at least misunderstood.

Just look at any Request for Proposal (RFP), the absolute worst way to obtain quality consulting help, provide a solution that you should bid on implementing, and that will be evaluated by low-level people with the fundamental objective of saving money, not correcting or improving the environment. Sheer folly. It’s our ethical and smart business obligation to set them straight.
 
If we don’t, they don’t deserve what they will get, but we do. And no one is the better for it.

Don’t jump at the first sniff of a meal. Find out what the intent is, and then help to cook up something that is both tasty and fulfilling.

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Alan Weiss, Ph.D. is the author of twenty-five books—including Million Dollar Consulting—which appear in seven languages. He runs the unique Million Dollar Consulting™ Colleges three times a year, and has a global mentoring program. You can reach him at www.summitconsulting.com, where you can download hundreds of free articles. He has won dozens of writing and consulting awards and is a member of the Professional Speaking Hall of Fame®.