New consultant's dilemma: responses

www.consultanttraining.com.au

Training for Consultants, Contractors and Freelancers in

Corporations: Shared Services & Internal Consultants
Consulting Firms
Independent Consultants

Consulting firms & units - please click here

Enquire about in-house training

Articles

Client list

Workshops for independent consultants

Presenter Profile www.ianbenjamin.com.au

Public Workshop Dates

Book on-line for public workshops

Book by fax or mail for public workshops

Why be a Consultant?

The second edition of Ian's book, Consulting, Contracting and Freelancing: Be Your Own Boss, published by Allen & Unwin, was released in August 2007. The book is listed by Smart Business in Queensland - the State Government Business Advisory office as the recommended book for people going into small business.

Click here to read some reader reviews

Click here to buy it

Newsletter # 26 dated March 2009 - click on the link on the RHS of this page, above the photo, to receive a copy

New Consultant’s Dilemma: Who do I talk to?

This is the response or Answer to the issue raised in

Article 2 above www.consultanttraining.com.au/articles_2.htm

More background:

1. To start, a word about questions. The question, supported by observation, is the major diagnostic tool of the consultant. By asking questions you will arouse the interest of the client who will want to know why you are asking certain questions. So be careful.

2. It is unlikely, given your junior position, that you were present in the negotiation stage of the arrangement with the client. You don’t know the context of the financial arrangement between client and your consulting firm and it maybe quite complex and may not be your business. We have to earn the right to get to this position. More on this another time.

3. You may not have been at all the scoping sessions. The issues you are aware of may have previously been dealt with by the client and your Principal.

The Answers:

4. If you tell the Team Leader, you have gone to the right place. If you have a professional (including technically competent) team leader the issue should be resolved. Action will be taken and you will be coached in the both client relationship matter and in the technical aspect.

5. If your Team Leader is unapproachable or fails to give you the outcome you believe is right, go to another senior person in your organisation, perhaps another Team Leader or older more experienced person. This could be your buddy, coach or mentor within your firm. Presumably they have seen the situation before and they will give wise advice and take appropriate action.

6. If these two fail, either your firm’s reporting processes, or you, are ‘at fault’. Your fault maybe forgiveable given your inexperience but if your intervention does lead to project amendment, you may become a hero! The firm’s operational system will need to be reviewed to improve communication and perhaps scoping. You might be given more responsibility!

7. If you tell the Project Manager who works for the client and is an employee of the client firm, you HAVE DEFINITELY DONE THE WRONG THING!

Your primary loyalty and responsibility is to your own firm: to its structures and ultimately its Principal (CEO) who is the representative of the owners of the firm at the operational level.

As mentioned above, you were not party to the commercial aspect of the business relationship with the client and you were not in the scoping session.

It is also possible that you have overestimated your own proficiency and underestimated the proficiency of your firm’s senior consultants who do the scoping.

However, you maybe 100% right in points 1 and 2 in our brief above and that is why it is important to take the matter up with someone who is responsible for communication at your level.

8. If you tell your mate from Uni you have also DEFINITELY DONE THE WRONG THING. For all the reasons above. Arguably it is not quite as bad as telling the client project manager as your mate might wisely tell you to go straight to your team leader and not to discuss it with any employee of the client firm. Better that you should have read this and confirmed what I hope you thought was the correct answer in the first place.

9. If you do and say nothing, you are arguably negligent and that can be costly. If you are always getting it wrong, consider making a change to your career! You will be much happier if you work at a task that you have mastery of – and continue to build your competence.

A final point: this article is called the New Consultant’s Dilemma as it is unlikely you would have too many opportunities at learning the lesson implied in this article!

To read the task again, go to www.consultanttraining.com.au/articles_2.htm

Hope this helps – Best wishes, Ian Benjamin, 0419 593 167 + 61 (4) 19 593 167

Consultant Training Australia Pty Ltd www.consultanttraining.com.au

Back to Consultant Training Australia

Download the brochure