Management Consulting News

Management Consulting News - Vol. 4, No. 12 - December 6, 2005

In This Month's Issue:

Welcome

Meet the MasterMinds: Patrick Lencioni Shows How to Conquer the Dysfunctions of a Team

Increasing the Return on Your Marketing Investment

Keeping Consulting Projects on Track to Success, by Rob Cimini

A Snapshot of Consultant Blogging

Why Consultants Should Blog, By Dave Lakhani

Lessons from HR Executives

Additional Articles

Coming Attractions

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Welcome:

Those of you who read my blog know that I have some pet peeves about presentations. Here comes another one.

Now I enjoy listening to good speakers, particularly those who can hold my attention, communicate their message, and throw in a little entertainment. And not long ago, I heard such a speaker at a meeting. He had energy, enthusiasm, and a compelling message.

He didn’t really need the seemingly endless string of PowerPoint slides he used, which all looked the same. Each slide included six or seven complete sentences—in bullet form, of course—and one small, animated graphic crammed into the lower right corner.

Because each slide was so packed with stuff, the speaker used his red laser pointer to highlight every sentence on every slide. Granted, he was a true marksman with that pointer and never missed his target.

But watching that red dot ricochet across the screen was like watching an Olympic ping pong match. My neck was killing me trying to follow the action. His use of that laser pointer was nothing short of audience abuse.

I’m not saying there’s no role for a laser pointer in a presentation, but give it a rest. It’s possible to reduce the clutter on a slide in a way that doesn’t detract from its message, and then the audience can follow along without a pointer to illuminate every thought in the presentation.

The Laser Institute of America (yes, it’s a real organization) believes additional safety regulation regarding laser pointers is an important legislative priority. I hope any new law includes a provision for protecting audiences from laser pointer overload.

As I said, it’s a pet peeve. Enjoy this month’s issue. If you have any comments, please send me an email.

Mike McLaughlin
Editor, Management Consulting News

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Meet the MasterMinds: Patrick Lencioni Shows How to Conquer the Dysfunctions of a Team

Patrick Lencioni is a consultant, bestselling author, and president of The Table Group, a consulting firm that specializes in executive team development and organizational health.

Lencioni’s books include Death by Meeting, The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, The Five Temptations of a CEO, and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, which continues to be highlighted on the New York Times, BusinessWeek, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller lists. His next book, Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars, is due out in February 2006.

We asked Lencioni’s advice about an issue all consultants face: forming and managing productive teams.

MCNews: Given the reliance on teams to solve business problems, you’d think teams would be good at it by now. Why are so many teams dysfunctional instead?

Lencioni: In spite of the proliferation of teams, real teamwork remains elusive in most organizations. Teams fall victim to dysfunction because they are made up of human beings, and we are inherently messy, fallible creatures.

Unless a leader gives people a reason to do otherwise, we tend to look out for our own best interests, and not necessarily those of the team. Teams will never be easy because of this.

Add the fact that managers and leaders often leave team issues untreated, hoping they will work themselves out without any heavy lifting, and you’ve got a recipe for dysfunction.

MCNews: How can leaders spot the symptoms of a dysfunctional team?

Lencioni: What I call the five dysfunctions of a team are absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. And all five have symptoms that team leaders can learn to identify.

One good indicator of team dysfunction, for example, is a boring team meeting.

One good indicator of team dysfunction, for example, is a boring team meeting. When people don’t challenge one another in discussions about the business, and when people go to meetings unmotivated, you can be pretty confident that they’re not collectively engaged.

Another good indicator of team problems is back-channel conflict. Do people reserve their complaints for hallway conversations instead of voicing them during meetings? If so, that’s a sign of both a lack of trust and healthy conflict.

MCNews: Consulting project teams are often made up of both consultants and client employees. Any advice for how consultant/client teams can become productive quickly?

Lencioni: First, everyone on the team has to be upfront about their various constituencies and competing interests. Then, they need to take a few steps to accelerate the process of building trust, using exercises that take hours, not days, and which can produce benefits in weeks, not months or years.

MCNews: How can leaders help team members develop the capacity for coping successfully with the frustrations of project obstacles?

Lencioni: Teams have to learn to enjoy the process of work so that obstacles become challenges that are fun to take on, rather than annoyances that stand between them and completion. That’s not to say that completion isn’t the ultimate goal. But losing sight of the fun of overcoming unexpected changes is a minor tragedy. Work is fun because it requires flexibility and change.

MCNews: What advice would you give a project team about developing performance standards?

Lencioni: Performance standards have to reward team performance more than individual performance. That’s not to say that some individual measures or rewards can’t be used. But if a leader really wants team behavior, he or she needs to establish a collective sense of success or failure, and then work to ensure that everyone feels compelled to meet high standards of performance.

On a good team, there is nothing more gratifying than receiving genuine accolades from a peer or a manager.

MCNews: How can a leader most effectively reward the individual contribution of a team member while maintaining the spirit of teamwork?

Lencioni: Focus on team recognition rather than financial or formal rewards. On a good team, there is nothing more gratifying than receiving genuine accolades from a peer or a manager. Unfortunately, this type of incentive is often under utilized.

Of course, recognition can’t make up the difference if team members are grossly underpaid.

MCNews: Any suggestions for managing a poorly performing team member?

Lencioni: That depends on whether the person has a true performance problem or a behavioral/values one. Most of what I’m about to say pertains to behavior, though it could also be used, with a little modification, for those who are just not producing.

First piece of advice to a manager: tell the team member he is underperforming. So many times people are not aware of their situation because managers shy away from giving them direct feedback, especially if it’s negative.

If, after direct communication, the situation doesn’t improve, make sure the underperformer knows that you’re willing to make a change to the team—that is, let him go—if things don’t improve. Do it kindly, helpfully, but clearly.

When people know that a leader is willing to make radical changes—like booting someone—they’re more likely to focus on improving.

When people know that a leader is willing to make radical changes—like booting someone—they’re more likely to focus on improving. When they think they are indispensable or that the manager would never pull the trigger, they have little incentive to change.

One of three things should happen next. Either the employee will improve, he will leave the organization on his own because he sees that he can’t be successful, or he’ll need to be helped out the door. In most cases, one of the first two situations will happen, and only rarely will a manager have to fire someone.

Finally, throughout this process, communicate with the underperformer with the assumption that he really wants to improve. In most cases, that’s the reality. Doubting someone’s intentions only increases the likelihood that he won’t see the possibility of success.

MCNews: If you were to give a new team leader one piece of advice, what would it be?

Lencioni: Take the risk of being vulnerable with the people you lead. That means, be open about who you are, what your concerns are, what your strengths and weaknesses are. Be human, and they will trust you.

MCNews: What’s on your reading list these days?

Lencioni: I just finished 1776, by David McCullough, which is a very interesting account of a key year in the founding of the US. And I’m reading the Gospel According to John in the Bible.

MCNews: Thanks for your time.

Find out more about Patrick Lencioni, his books and services at www.tablegroup.com.

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Increasing the Return on Your Marketing Investment

Is your marketing investment doing enough for your business? Participate in the confidential survey, Increasing Marketing Effectiveness at Professional Firms, and you will get to see the results on:

What key marketing initiatives do professional service firms evaluate?
How effective are their measurement/evaluation tools?
How do professional marketers overcome the many obstacles to measuring and evaluating results?

This study is co-sponsored by Expertise Marketing LLC and the LawMarketing Portal. Marketers at large and mid-sized professional service firms helped to develop the survey questions.

The 25-minute confidential questionnaire is directed to senior marketers in a broad cross section of professional service firms worldwide, including: accounting, architecture, numerous consulting specialties, engineering, executive search, law, and many others.

Participants will get a complimentary copy of the full report, which will be available in early 2006.

This study concludes on December 15, 2005, so if you want to participate, do it soon.

Take the survey now.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact:

Suzanne Lowe, President, Expertise Marketing LLC
www.expertisemarketing.com, 978.287.5080

Or Larry Bodine, Director, LawMarketing Portal
www.LawMarketing.com, 630.942.0977

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Keeping Consulting Projects on Track to Success, by Rob Cimini

If you’ve been in the consulting business for a while, chances are you’ve had a project that didn’t go quite as planned. You’re not alone.

In a study by The Economist Intelligence Unit, executives said that 40% of organizational improvement initiatives failed to meet their expectations. The news is worse for information technology (IT) projects, which were judged to be unsuccessful by almost 75% of one survey’s respondents.

Unfortunately, consultants have no silver bullet for this ongoing problem. The complexity of the work, client culture, and external factors combine to create project environments that aren’t always conducive to success.

Research shows that one of the primary reasons for disappointing project results is the consultant’s failure to set and manage the client’s expectations. And based on my experience, that one simple practice—meeting your client’s expectations—can mean the difference between project success and failure.

Living up to your client’s expectations may seem the obvious objective for any consulting engagement. But to improve your odds of achieving a great project outcome, you need a systematic approach for fulfilling those expectations. To that end, you must:

Define what is meant by client expectations;
Accept personal accountability;
And manage the process of meeting client expectations.

Define Client Expectations

To clarify client expectations, you must first define both the “client” and the scope of client expectations. The client isn’t just the person writing the check, but includes everyone who has an interest in or who would be impacted by the project. In project management terminology, these are the stakeholders.

You must understand stakeholders’ expectations for the project and that their definition of success may be different from the planned scope of the project. The best consultants dig deeply to get a real picture of the client’s organization and business issues and to uncover the stakeholders’ tacit—as well as stated—expectations for the project.

Accept Personal Accountability

Based on your assessment of expectations, you and the client need to agree on which expectations will be met and how to meet them. And once that agreement is reached, you must accept accountability, along with the client, for following through on those expectations.

Often, the most daunting problem is the client’s resistance to accepting accountability for the proposed project outcome. Overcoming this obstacle can be a severe test of the consultant’s commitment to accountability. But managing resistance productively is essential to fulfilling the project objectives and ultimately meeting the expectations of the stakeholders.

Consultant accountability is not a negotiated outcome that is re-qualified as project obstacles arise, but an unwavering position established at the project initiation.

Manage Client Expectations

Achieving accountability and meeting client expectations are critical parts of a working, dynamic management process. You must constantly monitor agreed upon objectives and expectations to assure they are being addressed and to make course corrections as needed. It’s this process that takes a consultant beyond the realm of subject matter expert to project manager.

General management skills will help the consultant navigate the nuances of a client’s organization and manage client expectations. By demonstrating leadership skills, communicating effectively across the client’s organization, and building strong relationships with client stakeholders, the consultant builds credibility and engages stakeholders in supporting the project.

Perception Is Reality

In the end, the truest measure of project success is whether the client believes that you met and accepted accountability for expectations. Earning that perception can present a formidable consulting challenge, especially given that you must also apply your technical expertise to the project.

A commitment to making that perception a reality, aided by an active management process, will keep your projects on the right track.

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Rob Cimini, PMP is a Principal Consultant at Apogee Management Group, a consulting firm that specializes in helping clients maximize their business opportunities through project leadership. Learn more at www.ApogeeMG.com.

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A Snapshot of Consultant Blogging

According to a recent Management Consulting News study, blogging has yet to catch on as a high-value marketing tool. In a survey of roughly 400 consultants, less than 10% are using blogs in their practices.

What’s the reason for the low use of blogs by the consultants in this survey? Maybe it’s because 58% of respondents aren’t sure if they’re getting marketing value from their existing Web sites. Adding another Web-based tool may seem like too much effort for an uncertain return.

For some perspective on the value of blogging, take a look at Dave Lakhani’s article below, “Why Consultant’s Should Blog.”

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Why Consultants Should Blog, by Dave Lakhani

You can’t turn on the television or pick up a newspaper without someone talking about blogging. The question you should ask yourself is: “Does my consulting practice need a blog?”

The answer is yes.

Creating a blog will help your practice:

Drive more Web traffic to your site
Create a following for your business
Give clients a sense of who you are and the personality of your business
Generate higher search engine rankings
Attract media attention to your perspectives.

One of the most powerful potential outcomes of blogging is to increase specifically targeted traffic to your Web site at little cost. Nearly every professional service provider spends hard earned money to maintain a Web site, drive traffic to it, and to convert visitors into clients. A blog is a valuable tool for bringing prospective clients to your door.

The challenge is that most professional service Web sites are nothing more than electronic brochures that leave the client feeling confused and unable to see the difference between similar providers. A well-written blog can help draw out those important distinctions in the client’s mind.

The ABCs of Consultant Blogging

Current, relevant content is the key to a successful blog. You must give readers fresh and insightful information. They may have read about the subject before, but give it a different or new twist. Your blog is a great educational platform, so use it to answer prospective client questions about important issues.
Write with personality. Blogs aren’t consulting reports, so don’t write them that way. Be generous with your opinions, facts, and analysis, but do it with some flair. Let your readers get a feel for who you are and what your firm is all about. Make them laugh, arouse emotions, or surprise them. That is the secret to getting more subscribers and getting them to read and recommend your blog.
Cross-Market Your Practice. Many people who sign up for your blog will also be drawn back to your Web site to sign up for your online newsletter, giving you additional opportunities to communicate your marketing message. People still typically read their email more often than blog posts, so don’t miss the opportunity to encourage blog readers to sign up for your email newsletter.

Every professional service provider should have a blog. Blogs have become as important as a Web site in a consultant’s marketing strategy. Embrace that fact and you’ll have another way to build relationships with prospective clients long before they ever meet you.

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Dave Lakhani is a consultant, speaker, and the author of Persuasion: The Art of Getting What You Want. Visit his Web site at www.boldapproach.com.

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Lessons from HR Executives

What’s on the HR executive’s agenda? That question was posed to almost 100 senior HR executives by researchers at the Aberdeen Group.

As expected, executives are concerned with the impact of rising benefits costs. But the companies researchers consider to be “best in class” are focused on building stronger teams for their businesses.

Here are the top three priorities for survey respondents:

Focus on internal talent and succession planning (69%)
Build a better brand to attract new people and retain existing ones (54%)
Create budgets to secure the top candidates (54%)

Today’s HR executives are awash in issues, but keep these three in mind. They’re at the top of the list for most HR execs.

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Additional Articles

The Three “Ds” of Customer Experience, by James Allen, Frederick F. Reichheld, and Barney Hamilton, from HBS Working Knowledge
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item.jhtml?id=5075&t=marketing

The Innovation-through-Acquisition Strategy: Why the Pay-off isn't Always There, from Knowledge @ Wharton
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/1311.cfm

Overcoming Barriers That Destroy Teams, by Lauren Keller Johnson, from HBS Working Knowledge
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item.jhtml?id=5068&t=leadership&iss=y

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Coming Attractions

“Consultants invest way too much time fretting about elevator speeches that end up sounding something like this, ‘I'm a management consultant specializing in leadership development.’ These short spiels are absolutely worthless.” - Jill Konrath

Want to know how to get in front of more clients?

Next month, consultant and author Jill Konrath helps us kick off the New Year with a new way of looking at selling services. Konrath is the author of Selling to Big Companies and a recognized expert in complex sales strategies and creating business value for B2B sales organizations.

Look for the interview with Jill Konrath in the next issue of Management Consulting News on January 3, 2006.

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Management Consulting News ISSN 1539-2481, Washington, DC, USA