Let’s get real or let’s not play.
See this book on Amazon »
Sometime ago someone told me they only have real answers to real questions. A modification of this has become my motto – “real solutions to real problems”. Khalsa’s picks up on this theme. Here’s some excerpts with the concepts I find helpful:
- Check [leave] your ego at the door “…if you find yourself defending or seeking approval, or demonstrating your brilliance, you are probably serving your needs rather than your client’s. Checking your ego at the door allows you to be fearless, flexible and to have fun…you are not attached to one approach, and are on the client’s agenda…you can enjoy the situation rather than feel pressured to dictate the outcome”.
- There’s a mutual conspiracy between client and consultant to talk about a solution…if we are going to get real, we have to find the …the problem [the solution] is supposed to solve, the results it is meant to achieve and with which issues…if we cannot uncover significant pain or gain…[then we must] say “I have a concern!”, or “I’m confused!” or “I think we may have a problem!”.
- No guessing. “If our intent is to help clients succeed, we have both the right and the obligation not to guess about …success…Getting real is partly defined by our ability to stop guessing and find out what is really going on. [We must know} what the solution is supposed to solve, how we will measure success, what constraints would impede success, what resources are available …,what steps will be involved in the decision process, who will be involved, what criteria they will apply.
- “Assumptions are another form of guessing. They are particularly insidious because they often happen unconsciously”
- “not buying from us is not the worst that can happen, Worse is if they buy our solution and then figure out it doesn’t meet their needs.”
This entry was posted on 20/05/2009 at 10:29 pm and is filed under Book Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.