Aparna Chowdhry_BLP040_Consulting_03Jan’12

In the consulting class today, we learnt about the initial stages of Proposal Development. We discussed topics like Dealing with Resistance and Stage of Discovery.

Chapter 9 of “Flawless Consulting” emphasizes on the fact that it is difficult for consultants to talk their clients out of resistance because resistance is attached to feelings. The best way to deal with resistance is to get the client talk more about their concern. A consultant should stay away from defending himself, rather he should ask questions and encourage his client to talk. A consultant should not push back at resistance, but face it and talk through it in an authentic and in a sincere manner. Peter Block mentions 3 steps to handle resistance:

1.) Pick up cues for resistance – A consultant must notice what is happening and pay attention to non-verbal messages from the client. A consultant should pay attention to his own feelings while in a discussion with client. Boredom or irritation in a discussion is early sign of resistance.

2.) Name the resistance – use simple language to describe the form the resistance is taking. This would help client openly share what he is feeling.

3.) Be quite and seek response – A consultant should make the statement about resistance and then remain silent. The idea is to encourage the client to take responsibility and come forward and discuss the issue at hand.

Peter Block also says that the most important of all things is that a consultant shouldn’t take things personally. A consultant should try and answer a question twice and clarify things for the client. But if the same question is asked thrice face the client and make the statement that the client is feeling some resistance to commit to the problem or the process.

Chapter 10 of the book states that once client and consultant are ready to deal with resistance they switch to discovery phase. The goal of discovery is to be effective and powerful. It is important in this phase for a consultant to understand what he knows and what he doesn’t know. A consultant should clearly understand the context of the client’s issue and the client’s industry. He should get to the root of the issue and understand the underlying problem – which may be different than what appears or what the client is stating. Lastly, it is important at this stage that the consultant gives a clear picture on how the problem is being managed. He should not be suggesting recommendations at this juncture but should be clearly stating the facts.

These learning's combined with Anil sir's inputs and the case discussion on SOIL made our day really engaging and memorable. It was a day well spent peeling a layer of how an effective consultant should manage his client and make a mark.