3 Build Client Partnerships

The greatest change in corporate culture—and the way business is being conducted—may be the accelerated growth of relationships based on partnership.

—Peter Drucker

Have you ever observed or worked with someone who was clearly an expert in his field yet was unsuccessful in influencing others to support a specific plan or strategy? In-depth expertise, by itself, is insufficient when you wish to influence clients to take actions that support organizational and performance change. What performance consultants must be able to demonstrate is the “art” of partnering with clients. By “art,” we mean the interpersonal and collaborative approach to working with others that is integral to success as a performance consultant. These are the more subjective, judgment-based, and behavioral tactics—no paint-by-number approach will do. It is critical that performance consultants use this collaborative approach in the entry phase of the Performance Consulting Process. Without demonstrating this capability in the first phase of the process, you probably will not gain access to strategic work or have the opportunity to optimize your value as a performance consultant.

As we begin our focus on partnering, we want to reiterate the three kinds of work supported by performance consultants discussed in Chapter 1:

Transactional work, which consists of a variety of administrative tasks, such as providing information to individuals, scheduling events, and inputting information into electronic files

Tactical work, which often involves managing a project, such as designing a learning event, hiring and staffing, restructuring a department, and mentoring others

Strategic work, which focuses on work and efforts that have an impact on the overall health, vitality, and direction of the business enterprise or of a group within it

While all three types of work need to be accomplished in any given year, our goal as performance consultants is to increase the percentage of work and time focused on strategic initiatives. Strategic initiatives are “owned” by managers and executives who are accountable for the results of these initiatives. It is these managers or executives we reference with the term client. As noted, there are two types of clients: sustained and project. Sustained clients are people with whom, because of their position and influence within the organization, a partnership is maintained independent of any current project or initiative. The level of communication and contact with these clients is sustained and continuous. Project clients are the “owners” of a business need for a specific initiative. Your communication with project clients will be robust during the life of the project, gradually decreasing as the project concludes.

As Peter Block (2011), in his book Flawless Consulting, identified, we can take three approaches as we work with sustained and project clients. We can work as an expert, where the client plays a more inactive role and looks to us to make decisions and implement solutions. Another option is to work as a pair-of-hands to the client. In this approach, the client is making the decisions and is telling us what is needed. The consultant assumes a passive role with regard to the decisions that are made. The third, and desired, approach is that of a collaborator, in which the consultant and client work as an interdependent team. They make joint decisions about the situation and what is required, sharing accountability for results, which raises the probability positive results will occur.

To form strong collaborative partnerships, you need to have access, credibility, and trust with your clients. Because performance consultants can only support clients and their strategic projects when there is direct access to the client, we will begin our discussion with this element.