World Class PSO: Daily Thought

Value! Value!! Value!!!

That's what is all about.

Every day, whether you a consultant or not, you should ask yourself, "What value am I going to add today?" Before you shut down for the day, ask yourself, "Did I add value today?" If the answer is, "no," ask yourself why not.

Plan your day, know what value you are going to add, and hold yourself accountable to adding value where ever you can. You will be surprise at what success comes when you focus on value and accountability.

World Class PSO: Daily Thought

One of my consultants recently commented that it is harder to build relationships with clients when working remotely than it is when working onsite. He makes a great point. One of my colleagues says that some of the best sales meetings happen after the sales call as he is walking out to the reception desk with the customer. That can be true with consulting, too.

I think we over look the importance of those short, informal, and non-threatening conversations we have with our customers as we are walking to or from the conference room, and it can be hard to have the same informal chats when we are on a bridge waiting for others to join. So what can we do?

On ideas is to use the information available to us. We have more and more information at our disposal online. Take a few minutes to see if the meeting attendees are on LinkedIn and try to learn about their experiences and background. Don't go all "Big Brother" on them, but see if you can use that information to make a personal connection that lightens the mood.

I recently did something a little more bold...ok, just a little more...In a meeting last night, I made a reference to doing a song and dance. The client commented on wanting to see a video of that. Now, I certainly wasn't going to send her a video from my cousin's wedding last summer, that's for sure. However, as a joke, I sent her the clip of Elaine from Seinfeld doing her crazy leg kick dance. We all had a good laugh, and I showed a little of my personality. Next time, we might have an easier time with the light chit-chat that helps lower the barriers...it also showed her that I was listening to her.

Having fun with your clients and exposing yourself for who you are is a good thing - as long as it is done professionally.

So, how do you break down barriers and build relationships when you work remotely with your clients?

World Class PSO: Daily Thought (Trying to get back on track)

Before the summer started, I was in a groove - I was blogging regularly and feeling good about it. Then...summer happened. We had the biggest quarter in our history, we hired new consultants - nearly doubling the size of our team, and we started to make huge strides in maturing the delivery arm of our practice. It's been a good few months!! Now I'm back...

Later this week I will pick up my series on the "Top 10 Qualities of a World-class Consultant." Before I do, though, I wanted to share a quote from the book, 50 Success Classics, edited by Tom Butler-Bowdoin. Tom quotes from Born to Win, by Muriel James & Dorothy Jongeward:

"It takes courage to experience the freedom that comes from autonomy, courage to accept intimacy and directly encounter other persons, courage to take a stand in an unpopular cause, courage to choose authenticity over approval and to choose it again and again, courage to accept the responsibility for your own choices, and indeed, courage to be the unique person you really are."

It may sound corny, but I think this one sentence summarizes the life that we as consultants and project managers need to live. We need to strike a balance between competing forces: The needs of our customers, the needs of our employer, the needs of the delivery consultants, and the contract between all parties. We have to really, truly engage with our customers - care about their successes and failures - and listen carefully to what is being said...and not said.

I have told my consultants that they need to develop the self-confidence required to confidently tell the customer what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. I have also told them that they need to be professional and diplomatic in how they do so.

We walk a tight rope every day. World-class consultants are able to find the balance and be a truly trusted advisor for your customers.