by Johan Greeff
During April this year I had the privilege of spending five days in Redbank with three amazing, talented fellow South Africans; Nomatemba Sithole – our amazingly wise Elder; Chris Ahrends – the quiet, strong and spiritually anchored member of our team and Sharon Golding who brought passion, enthusiasm and her own unique meaningful insights. The Molly Pitcher Hotel in Redbank was our base and it can rightly be called “The Home of Flawless Consulting”. This is where Peter has been presenting Flawless Consulting courses for the past 20-odd years. It has a beautiful scenic view over the lake and this allowed for some open-minded thinking and open-hearted discussions.
But first a bit of background
I first came across Flawless Consulting in 1999 when I read the book. My opinion then - okay, but nothing really new. And then during 2009 things changed. I met Peter when I attended one of the Community Building Workshops arranged by Symphonia. In two days he managed to confuse me with many questions (‘Questions are empowering, opinions are impotent’ - Peter Block). During the two days Peter challenged me intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and socially. I left inspired-confused and in an effort to make sense I decided to read the book again. I am ashamed to confess – I never really understood the book the first time. This time I found immense substance in the content. It brings a powerful message to all experts, internal- and external consultants. It is really a guide to help you to get your expertise used and appreciated.
When Louise van Rhyn, Managing Director of Symphonia Leadership Development (http://www.symphonia.net/) asked me to become one of a handful of Flawless Consulting Facilitators in South Africa, I jumped at the opportunity.
A bit more about Symphonia and Louise: Symphonia is doing brilliant work in the field of Organisation, Leadership and Community Development. My opinion is that they are the current benchmark in South Africa in these fields. They work with an open-minded, highly skilled group of partners and are committed to making South Africa “A place of possibility”. To assist them in this process, they have invited global thought leaders like Peter Block and Ben and Ross Zander to South Africa. Their OD practice includes offerings like Nine Conversations in Leadership and their initiative ‘Schools at the Centre of Community’ is visionary and inspirational.
Training in Redbank
Our first day was spent with Phil Grosnick. Phil has been Peter’s partner for many years and is the Managing Director of Designed Learning. On Day 1 he coached and prepared us for what was to follow over the next 4 days. What a privilege! Phil’s wisdom, ability to relate, availability and deep respect for the process showed. He is an authentic individual and demonstrated deep insight into the consulting process. Phil does not only talk Flawless but he lives it.
On the second day Peter joined us and posed one of his favourite questions:
“What type of consultant are you?” Confronted with this as well as the question of “What expertise I bring to my clients” resulted in reflecting on my 27 years in the consulting arena. I realised that with the Treetops vision “Your partner in transformation” and some of our favourite statements like “The Leadership Partnership” and “Partnering clients to more exciting and rewarding futures” our efforts lacked a certain essence. Our consulting was not as ‘flawless’ as I thought.
I have since also learned that transformation is only possible with a confession. So herewith my confession: “I believe that I suffered from the worst possible consultants paradigm”. (Maybe it’s more correct to call it a disease)
I believed my task was to bring (quick) answers to the complex problems of my clients. I believed that as the objective, outside expert I had the responsibility to efficiently help clients with their deficiencies. My patient was the organisation and like a Doctor I had a Tool Bag full of remedial tricks. In selling my services, I had to eliminate resistance and the best way was through manipulation (if they resist give them another “benefit” or use “Third Party” references etc). I also believe that for the past twenty years I have been doing good work, I often received the praises and accolades of my clients. I did it with the right intention, but now know it could have been done differently.
Flawless Consulting allowed me to appreciate that consulting is about authentic partnering in a collaborative relationship, based on transparent contracting. With this we can express the terms, our needs and our wants. We meet as equals and humanity is at the centre. The relationship is open, honest and constructive and the aim is to solve problems permanently and to assist people to do business in a more meaningful and better way.
As to the question: “What type of consultant am I?” I realised that often I took on the cloak of Consulting Type 1: The Saviour rather than staying in the relationship of the “Facilitating Partner”.
Consulting Type 1 – “The Saviour” (Expert)
Here you arrive from an absolute place of certainty. You are the ‘knowledgeable expert’. With your tools of surveys and competency models you focus on deficiencies and aim at diagnosing people and then fixing and treating them. Talent is never good enough as we should strive for a state of zero defects. The aim of leadership is to control (and to do it in such a way that people will not really mind it even maybe like it). As consultant, you feel obliged and are expected to give definite answers. In Peter Block’s: “If you feel obliged to be the saviour and give the answers, make it worth your while because you know you’ve been had” (Maybe that is why some of the bigger International Consulting firms charge such outrageous fees.) The end result of this type of consulting is often that we change structures, processes and systems, but don’t necessarily engage people and change their hearts and minds.
Consulting Type 2 – “The Facilitating Partner” (Collaborative)
Here the consultant brings his or her authentic self to the table and by doing this, allows the client to do the same. The aim is to listen and understand to enable trust to evolve in the process. As equals we share our needs and wants and through engagement you focus to make visible and celebrate what is right and what works. The aim is to create something that people can commit to, as it will have their fingerprint on it.
The consultant appreciates that the client is often caught up in the complexity of the problem. Rushing in to save them will only result in repackaging the same old dynamic. By listening and exploring at a deeper level, clarity evolves and the client now moves from complainant to agent of their own future. The focus is not on the fallacy of the individual as High Performance Hero, but on meeting and convening, appreciating that we need each other and that we cannot do it by ourselves. A sense of community is established where people become caring citizens instead of entitled consumers. In the words of Gary Hamel: “The workplace then becomes fit for human consumption”.
Consultant Type 3 – “A Pair of Hands”
Here the consultant’s main role is to execute the wishes of the client or Top Management. He or she is only used for a specific skill or deal with a specific part of a process. The client is not really interested in the consultant’s opinion or feedback and stays totally in charge of their destiny. They can mess up or fix problems without the consultant’s opinion. The engagement is transactional and the consultant is often a tool or the ‘Pimp of Management”.
In looking back, I know I’ve operated in all three roles with varying degrees of success. I also know that there is a time and a place for each of these, but I also know that the most effective, respectful, dignified and satisfying outcomes, come from being the “Facilitating Partner”. These are achieved through the following Flawless Consulting steps:
1. Entry / contracting: agreement
2. Data collection/diagnosis: clear picture
3. Feedback / decision-making: decision to act
4. Implementation: build commitment
5. Evaluation / termination: end or recycle to contracting
In following these steps a collaborative relationship is established that allows for commitment and creative excitement and not just mere compliance.
I can carry on about Flawless Consulting, but words will never do justice to the programme (It is similar to trying to give people the feel of the Grand Canyon by showing them photos. The Canyon is far too big to be captured in a two-dimensional image). Like the Canyon, Flawless Consulting must be experienced. Do yourself a favour and attend the programme.
A few other facts:
- Flawless Consulting is a Benchmark in Consulting in the United States of America and Europe. - People in the IT, HR, Financial and Engineering environments see it as a key foundational skill for professional efficiency.
- In many organisations it is also used as a module in their Leadership Development Programmes. Senior Consultants make an effort to attend Flawless Consulting 2, which is a 2-day laboratory experience where the principles are actively lived.
- The book, Flawless Consulting, published by Pfeiffer is the publisher’s bestselling book over the last 40 years.
In closure - a few last thoughts
After Redbank my life-partner Laura and I visited the Grand Canyon. We also spent a week in the tranquil and beautiful environment of Sedona. The beauty, open space, vastness and snow allowed me to peacefully reflect and integrate powerful concepts and I arrived back in South Africa with clarity to the question “What type of Consultant are you?”
The answer after asking the question to myself: “I know that I am authentically me, ready to listen to my clients and partner them and their organisations into a future of possibility”.
Some last thoughts from Peter
- Hierarchy is there to create order and structure; it makes things more predictable and controllable. It however takes creativity, uniqueness and individuality, in other words humanity, off the table.
- You cannot hold somebody accountable, only choice brings accountability.
- The aim of FC is to be powerful within hierarchy. It is to bring your expertise as a pocket of authentic relatedness into the workplace.
- Like-mindedness is the enemy of learning, creativity and democracy.
- As consultant, don’t jump in and feel you have to do something. If you do, rather get up and go to the bathroom and think about it, appreciate the world does not need your opinion right now.
- Time will not heal all wounds. In most cases it only makes it worse because we just postpone doing something about it.
In summary
As an evolving consultant I know I have taken some bold steps to becoming a more authentic partner to my clients.
Thank you Peter; thank you Phil; thank you Louise and thank you to my three fellow Flawless Travellers, Nomatemba, Chris and Sharon.
PS: If you want sign up for the next Flawless Workshop in your area, visit the Symphonia website or contact Johleen van Dyk at johleen@symphonia.net
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