Reflections on Chapters 1-3

Though it was not assigned, I took the time to read through "What's New".  I highly recommend others do as well.  Not that it is necessarily super related to Consulting, but it was interesting to read about how our social structure has changed.  He was talking about how most telephone conversations in 2000 were with machines.  My assumption is that he was talking about those automated customer service machines.  He then talked about how we now see people working from home more for serenity and to spend more time with family but in reality through working from home they lose more human interaction because they are not seeing their office colleagues.  He talked about how the social is all about social networking now and much less face to face.  It is interesting because the other day my colleague and friend was discussing on Facebook about a conversation he overheard at the mechanic while waiting for an oil change.  It was two older gentleman talking about how the kids these days and their facebook and their texting etc...

Back to consulting.  That is the point after all right?

Reading through chapters 1-3 I saw ideas from other classes regurgitated.  Authenticity came up in our first class with Cheryl Harrison and it has come up many times since.  The idea of getting buy in from the client came up before too, more so in regard to garnering it from your team as a good leader.  The beginning of chapter one the five phases of Consulting seemed eerily similar to the 5 stages of Project Management from our last class. 

PM 5 Stages

Initiating

Planning
Executing
Monitoring & Control
Closing

Consulting 5 Stages
Entry & Contracting
Discovery & Dialogue
Analysis & Decision to Act
Engagement & Implementation
Extension, Recycle, or Termination

While these stages do not match up perfectly.  I saw them as similar.  In a sense this should reiterate how tried and true these stages are.  

I also found it interesting, the distinction made between being a consultant and a "surrogate manager".  A true consultant is there to advise, not to do.  He later did go over different levels in this regard too though.  He made it OK to do sometimes.  He explained that a consultant can act in different roles.

Consulting Roles
Expert
Pair-of-Hands
Collaborative

The role that seemed most powerful to me was the Collaborative role.  In the book Block mentions how a consultant is a change agent.  Utilizing the collaborative role seems to me to be very powerful.  This is where you work hand in hand with the client.  While a consultant has their experience and expertise, they are likely not an expert in that organization's culture.  The client has that expertise.  Working collaboratively is the ideal in my opinion.  This is not to say that there is no room for the other two roles.  There will definitely be time when the other two roles will be the prescription for success.