| This month we discuss what so many professionals | | | | perceived dangers. If they don't happen that's great, |
| miss with their prospects and that often cause | | | | but if they do happen and your clients are not |
| surprises after the project has started. It is discussing | | | | properly prepared, then they freak out like injured |
| the pains of change with clients. The problem is that | | | | animals, they can become totally unpredictable and |
| very often clients invite your to their sinking ships | | | | you can be in pretty deep yoghurt. That is what |
| hoping that you get their sinking ships into smooth | | | | some clients demand their money back or threaten |
| cruising mode again within a day or two, and often | | | | to take you to court. It can be pretty nasty.So, for |
| for a competitive(ly low) fee.And when this doesn't | | | | a moment remember your first day at |
| happen (According to Dr. Edgar Schein, over 90% of | | | | university."People, you may feel a bit crowded right |
| consulting projects fail because of undisclosed | | | | but relax. In a few months half of you will be out of |
| events, non-discussable and lack of action on clients' | | | | here."So, students understand that unless they are |
| sides), very often consultants get blamed for failing | | | | willing to work their butts off, they will soon be out |
| to achieve the projected results. But who is in the | | | | with no hope in hell to retrieve the tuition they paid |
| driving seat? You or the client? Who is the decision | | | | at the beginning of the course. And if they want to |
| maker? No, not you? Thus final outcomes cannot be | | | | come back later, they have to pay again.The other |
| in your hands. And you must communicate this to | | | | important point is to make buyers understand that |
| your clients.However, making consultants responsible | | | | before the situation improves, it will worsen. It is the |
| for the outcomes of their clients' projects is just as | | | | same as people shortly before dying often get |
| futile as making parents single-handedly responsible | | | | seemingly better get, and then without much fuss, |
| for their kids' accomplishments. Consultants, just like | | | | song and dance they irreversibly kick the |
| parents, are not the ultimate decision-makers.You | | | | bucket.Therefore you must discuss the pains of |
| can't even guarantee whether or not your clients get | | | | change while making the conceptual agreement with |
| out of bed in the morning let alone whether they use | | | | buyers. They must know what they are about to |
| or discard your advice. In plain English: You are NOT in | | | | get into. Remember, fear of failure is a huge |
| charge. The client is.Regardless of what parents do | | | | withholding power in people's lives.In most |
| for their kids, and regardless of how much they help | | | | organisations change takes place at five levels:1. |
| their kids to achieve it, if the kids consciously DECIDE | | | | ASSET LEVEL: For industrial organisations assets are |
| to get involved in crime or drugs, the is not a | | | | the buildings, computer systems, production lines, the |
| dickybird parents can do about it. Responsibility for | | | | fleet of company cars and the photocopier. For a |
| achieving results and authority for making decisions | | | | professional service firm it is their people. This is such |
| come hand in hand. You can't separate the two.By | | | | basic change as buying a new photocopier. However, |
| nature people are scared of the unknown aspects of | | | | some people may insist on keeping the old copier |
| change, and, interestingly, when the change process | | | | because they are used to it.2. ROAD MAP LEVEL: |
| is promoted to be a smooth ride and a neat slope | | | | This is plans, systems and processes that enable |
| with a steady gradient, some people get excited and | | | | organisations to go from A to B and actually navigate |
| jumps on the opportunity, but some people become | | | | through the jungles of commerce throughout its |
| extra cautious.So, how does the military handle total | | | | lifetime. The road map also includes, policies, |
| buy-in from new recruits? Read the next paragraph | | | | procedures, code of conduct, scripts and every piece |
| from General Patton preparing his troops for | | | | of information that can be codified into written |
| battle."You are not all going to die. Only two percent | | | | documents. Change at this level seems to be easy, |
| of you right here today would die in a major battle. | | | | but at this level we don't know whether or not |
| Death must not be feared. Death, in time, comes to | | | | people are interested in changing at all.3. CAPABILITY |
| all men. Yes, every man is scared in his first battle. If | | | | LEVEL: This is the skills and competencies of the |
| he says he's not, he's a liar."The US Navy's SEAL Unit | | | | people organisations employ to produce what they |
| vehemently promotes the most intense part of their | | | | produce. This includes both explicit (learnt through |
| training, called "Hell Week". They tell potential recruits | | | | memorising information) and tacit (intuition, finesse, |
| about all the pain and suffering they have to endure | | | | gut feeling, "trench work." Basically cellular level |
| in order to become full-blown members of one of | | | | knowledge) experience. Two police officers can have |
| the most respected units in the American military | | | | the same level of explicit knowledge, but the one |
| machine.And guess what, when people are mentally | | | | who has personally led numerous raids on drug |
| prepared for the hardship, they can better take it. | | | | operations where the bullets were flying has |
| And attrition rate in the military is a lot lower than | | | | significantly more tacit experience.This is why it is |
| project failure rate in the world of consulting.In the | | | | huge mistake to hire people (employees, contractors |
| world of professional services there is the current | | | | or advisors) based on resumes (explicit knowledge). I |
| situation, the desired situation and the unknown | | | | dare to say Donald Trump's assistant knows more |
| "swamp" clients have to go through to reach the | | | | about real estate than most realtors out there who |
| "promised land."The key is to tell clients that it is a | | | | are certified to the hilt and registered with every |
| swamp full of alligators and mosquitoes not a rose | | | | association that has something to do with real estate. |
| garden with colourful butterflies, the journey to cross | | | | The person can be explicitly amazing but tacitly |
| the swamp to the promised land will be more of a | | | | amazingly incompetent. Your expertise is about 20% |
| tough hike with blood, sweat and tears than a | | | | explicit knowledge and 80% of tacit information |
| pleasure cruise with cute waitresses and celebrity | | | | (intuition and gut feeling, trench work, basically cellular |
| hunks.Clients know what is happening to them right | | | | level knowledge).The mistake here is that by sending |
| now, and often can get a concept of what can wait | | | | people to training courses, managers expect instant |
| for them in the promised land, but still, they are | | | | performance improvement from their people as soon |
| scared to death of crossing the swamp. And since | | | | as they return from the course. But people do need |
| you have crossed many swamps many times and | | | | time to turn the new information into new skills. For a |
| arrived at many promised lands, you can tell your | | | | doctor a fairly long time goes by between the first |
| clients about what to expect on the journey and | | | | anatomy lesson at medical school and the first real |
| what to take with them. You can recommend them | | | | heart surgery. I've never come across a doctor who |
| to take a rifle and a big knife, and leave their | | | | can operate on people one day after graduation. A |
| make-up sets and iPods at home.When I defected | | | | law school graduate must be invited to the bar to |
| from Hungary in 1988 with no money and no English, | | | | practise. It can only happen in the world of |
| I knew I was in for a pretty rough ride. I knew I | | | | commerce that after graduation a freshly minted |
| could end up being deported right away or being | | | | MBA demands, and often receives a senior |
| dumped into a refugee camp living like a rat until I | | | | management position with a corner office a personal |
| would have a chance to find work and be released | | | | secretary, some mind-numbing bonuses (on what?) |
| to the normal world (a.k.a. the rate race. Oh these | | | | and a company Mercedes.4. INTENTION LEVEL: This |
| fiendish vermin are everywhere). Just like me, many | | | | is the major driving force behind and change initiative. |
| of my friends were fed up with the communist | | | | It is fairly easy to change things, but changing people |
| system, but unlike me, in spite of knowing the | | | | is a horse of a different colour altogether. We have |
| beauties and benefits of the promised land, they | | | | discussed many times how important it is to align |
| found the swamp too scary to cross, and decided to | | | | organisational objectives and strategies with personal |
| stay.Many prospective clients are like that too. And | | | | goals, and this is the perfect place to see this |
| the sooner they decide whether or not they are | | | | alignment in operation. When it exists, people buy into |
| willing to cross the swamp with you, the better it is | | | | the change relatively easily (All right, let's factor in the |
| both for your piggy bank and sanity. Imagine you go | | | | general fear of change), especially if they see that |
| through several meetings, write a proposal and then | | | | everyone around them will go through the same |
| the prospect pulls back. A sort of "projectus | | | | change process.For every desire for change there is |
| interruptus" when a prospect withdraws before | | | | an opposing desire of keeping things the same. At |
| something "serious" happens. Arrrrrg!So, during your | | | | this point the best thing you can do is to find the |
| initial discussion you've outlined and evaluated clients' | | | | pros and cons for both situations.5. VISION LEVEL: |
| cost of staying where they are right now, and the | | | | This is really the essence of the change effort. Many |
| value of getting to the promised land. This actually | | | | people say "I want to start exercising", but only a |
| establishes your value, which is a basis of your fees. | | | | very few, who actually start, have overarching |
| (For more on this see "It's All About Your Value: | | | | reasons, let's call it visions, to actually get started and |
| Service Professionals' Guide to Setting, Raising and | | | | maintain it in the long run. I know a company that |
| Safeguarding Fees" now clients is excited about the | | | | espouses on its website that they are the best IT |
| opportunities waiting for them at the promised land, | | | | firm in the vicinity, while the president is encouraging |
| and mistakenly assume that you do all the necessary | | | | people to do half-repairs, so they can return and milk |
| work and you actually carry them on your back to | | | | clients over and over again. He himself lives pretty |
| the new destination. This sets up false expectations, | | | | high on the hog and works hard on how to explain to |
| and if something unexpected happens (always does), | | | | his people why there is no pay increase and, again, |
| you get blamed for everything, including the Spanish | | | | the company can't afford to pay bonuses. Basically, |
| inquisition.So, let's start and communicate this pain of | | | | he is a rotten lying SOB.Post-Reading Provocation* |
| change.Ask prospects about their concern and | | | | Look back on your projects and try to count how |
| worries regarding the change effort, and then | | | | many times your clients have been surprised and |
| elaborate on each item to the level of details as | | | | even shocked by unexpected setbacks. Have you |
| necessary. Then bring up whatever has been missed. | | | | ever been blamed for these setbacks?* After |
| If prospects express concerns about mosquitoes | | | | discussing the current and the desired situations, how |
| only, then bring up the alligators. Tell prospects that if | | | | could you discuss the potential pain based on the five |
| they step off the path, the swamp can swallow | | | | change levels listed above?* How can you |
| them. These are not scare tactics, like "Unless you | | | | communicate more effectively that creating the |
| buy my fire alarm system, your kids will burn alive | | | | desired results, while you and the client are mutually |
| and you will hear them scream for the rest of your | | | | accountable to each other, is the client's sole |
| life." This is different. Here you use fear to make a | | | | responsibility since s/he is the final |
| buying decision.Your prospects have already made a | | | | decision-maker.Organisational Provocateur Tom "Bald |
| buying decisions based on their values. All you do is | | | | Dog" Varjan of Dynamic Innovations Squad helps |
| just fill them in on the details of what may or may | | | | providers of professional services to achieve the |
| not happen during the journey across the swamp. | | | | income and lifestyle levels they desire through |
| Take some time together to discover all the | | | | high-trust high-impact client relationships. |