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Fast Co. Design has a good article about how to turn consulting relationships into breakthroughs.

Although the 6 rules were split between the client and the consultant, I think they can all apply to the consultant. To be truly effective, I think it’s essential to bear these in mind.

Get comfortable with discomfort

The measurements of traditional business may be difficult to apply to an innovative process, but the impacts and ‘what does this mean to me’ still need to be made clear, and those will often resolve back to traditional measures.

Find a champion

This would usually be the project sponsor or programme manager.  Presumably they are clear in the goals and the vision of the project, and it’s your job to help them achieve that.  It’s a shared journey though, so as the external consultant it’s also your job to coach them through the expected and unexpected milestones and difficulties.

Take the long view

Magic bullets are a real danger, especially when the returns take a long time to appear.  If you’re expecting to experience stumbles and changes of direction, then it is very important to manage peoples’ expectations about what they should expect to see.  Describing it as a journey, and take the stakeholders along for the ride.

Know your limits

I absolutely agree with this one.  Offer your unique perspective – you’re not there to simply agree with everything.  Understanding the culture is really important – you might not be able to change it, but it frames the decision making process and helps understand how things are done.

Embrace their culture

This sounds a lot like ‘going native’ – sometimes it’s good to maintain the outsider perspective.  However, understanding the company culture and history can offer the most subtle insights, and play a big part in crafting the right message or pitch when presenting a solution.  Out at Chorus, they have a wall with the names and starting dates of their most longest serving employees.  The oldest person started in 1958 – and the average age of employee is in the high 30s.  With this in mind, it would be difficult to expect these people to enthusiastically adopt the latest web trends as part of a solution – their users are more comfortable with ‘old school’ forms and interfaces.

Be truthful

Although it’s tempting to tell people what they want to hear, consultants aren’t there to be yes-men.  I’ve seen it happen, and it provides justification for some terrible decisions.  The client is paying a consultant good money to get good advice – they may not use it and the final report may end up gathering dust, but that’s their decision.

The article is worth a read – there is some good stuff in it.

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