Consulting Complexities: Introduction
Contrary to popular belief, the world’s oldest profession is consulting. The first consultant was the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, who – with the encouragement of top management –– assumed an advisory role with Eve.
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3 Pitfalls that Cause Projects to Fail
Below you will find Peter Block's answers to all of the questions he did not have time to answer during "The 3 Pitfalls that Cause Projects to Fail" webinar.
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Caring About Place
Does the setting we connect with each other in really matter? Has our love of technology overtaken our love for connecting with one another?
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Your Boss Is Not Your Parent
Peter Block has never been one to avoid confrontation and denounce current business practices. In this year’s edition of the Visionary Leaders Summit, a yearly installation of interviews with the world’s top innovators, thinkers, and educators, Peter Block had the honor of joining host Nicole Farkouh for an insightful interview. Peter concisely dismantles the age-old business practice of bosses treating their employees like children. The mindset that it is the boss's responsibility to boost morale and maintain well-being is outdated and inherently detrimental to the progression of an employee. The simple reason for this is that the parent-child relationship in business diverts responsibility from the employee when in reality, the employee should ask themselves “What are you doing to contribute to the very thing that upsets you?” To learn more about why this and other popular business practices are lacking, watch Peter’s Visionary Leaders Summit interview here:
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Feedback
Let’s be honest. We all appreciate receiving honest feedback, but we dread being the bearer of bad news. It’s easy to leave things unspoken with someone to avoid an uncomfortable situation. However, providing honest feedback earns the trust of the people around us. Consulting is a helping profession: an act of service, love and care. When we fail to be authentic when offering feedback, we fail as consultants and business partners.
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Blueprints
When an architect designs a new house, a construction team must follow an organized blueprint to make sure that the house is built to the exact specifications of the architect. While blueprints are effective when building a house, following a strict blueprint does not work when changing the culture within…
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“I’m Fine”
Are You Sure Things are Just Fine? Have you ever asked someone how are they doing and they respond, “I’m fine.” If so, you probably didn’t believe everything was just fine. As a consultant, you are able to recognize when there might be an issue hiding within a company’s culture.
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Urgency of Answers
A slow internet connection, rush hour traffic or a long wait at your favorite restaurant. Let’s face it, you have a tough time being patient when you expect things to go your way and something goes wrong. As a consultant, you have probably heard a client demand a quick answer…
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Leaders as Partners not Parents
This post on how growth undermines service is the third in our series that looks at what interferes with our capacity to serve, even in the face of our best intentions. It speaks to the industry as a whole, though both internal and external consultants will recognize the tensions between…
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