This post is part of a series of posts on rules of engagement in the consulting business. I don’t profess to be a guru on all things consulting but the posts cover some of the things that I have picked up over the years.
Consultants tend not to get into conflict situations with their clients that often (but it certainly can happen). The reason is that by nature consultants appear on the surface to be pretty malleable, although behind the scenes they will be gently guiding towards the best possisble solution.
Rather than dealing with conflict situations with clients, consultants are often asked to act as an external agent and assist in negotiations between two interested parties. Even though consultants are typically retained by just one of the parties they are generally given the latitude to explore options outside the clients stated position without making the client look like they are backing down.
Interestingly enough, I’ve found that the non-client party in a negotiation often looks upon the consultant as an ally – perhaps because they are so one eyed about their own solution that they believe that the only rational thing to do is support them – and sometimes they are right!
Now – here is where I think a consultant is different from a straight out contractor. When a consultant goes into negotiate along-side a client they already have a feel for what the optimal situation is going to be – and neither the client or the other party automatically share this knowledge. The trick is to bring both parties together in agreement.
Finally – here are a few rules that I try to live by:
- Keep your eye on the optimal solution; this is not a purest mentality, but in most situations there is generally an outcome that you really really want. Try to move towards it while still consdering each parties needs.
- Know when you are compromised; if for some reason you find you can’t move forward because you integrity has been challenged, step back and consider loosing the ground. This is especially important if you have made a mis-step and revealed one of your own personal biases.
Interestingly – the second situation happened to me recently and I’ve had to pull back, I don’t like it and my teeth grind continuously when I think about it.