Building a relationship between clients and consultants

For me, as a consultant, it is essential in any consultancy process to build a collaborative relationship with the client and then with all those involved in the change process. At this moment in my professional career, there are six criteria to get involved in change processes together with others to realize sustainable changes in organizations.  

Inspiring and committed people  

The first criterium is the ability to work with inspiring and committed people and being able to embark on an adventure with them. This is in line with building a relationship with all problem owners and generating energy to get started. If I cannot create a relationship with all those involved in the presented problem, it will be difficult to have an impact.  

This kind of consultancy assignment does not fit with my values and way of working. It goes without saying that it is worth discussing these criteria at the start of a project. Then, you are already working on the relationship, the problem becomes sharper, and the role of everyone becomes clear. If collaboration with engaged and committed people is not possible, then it is a no-go for me.  

Purpose and values: what we stand and go for  

A second principle or criterion is related to the purpose and values of the customer organization and the question of whether I want to connect with them. The meaning and values of the customer organization are an anchor point. When they are not aligned with my own, it is complicated to build relationships based on values and the consultancy process can never become genuine.  

Personally, I made a conscious choice to work for societal organizations with a clear purpose to contribute to sustainable environmental, social and economic improvement and a willingness to invest in a better world. When collaboration is possible and the purpose and values are aligned, there are still four criteria that must be in balance.  

Having impact: doing the right things right  

It is relevant to me that I can have an impact on the transformational ambitions of the people in the customer organization. I am concerned with both the impact on the organization and the social impact. My consideration then is whether I think I can really contribute to a better functioning organization in which people can enjoy their work and be relevant.  

For the past fifteen years, I have only worked for civil society organizations that provide accessible youth care, good education, and adequate health care or contribute to social and physical safety. That is a personal and professional choice to be socially relevant. Moreover, the issues in these organizations are often more complicated than in regular business organizations, and that fascinates me.  

Playfulness: playing and experimenting together?  

I find routine issues less interesting than a complex and almost elusive challenge. I like to be challenged and to look for solutions together with others in a playful way. Organizing teamwork to bring about positive changes is what gets me out of bed. And because many social issues cannot be solved by a single organization, this teamwork often transcends its boundaries.  

In my book Change as Collaborative Play, I look back on my experiences and elaborate my working method on how you can achieve collaboration and why this is so relevant to realizing sustainable solutions in changing organizations.  

Time investment: maximum result with limited effort  

A question I ask myself in any consulting process: is it worth it? There is also the interrogation of how much time and intensity an advisory process requires from me and whether I can and want to live up to that. For several years, I have found a good balance between work and private life, although they easily get mixed up. I want to maintain a healthy balance between effort and relaxation. If the impact is high, it may take more time. If the impact is low, the time I want to invest also goes down.  

The best are advisory processes with committed people who get to work themselves and where I can achieve maximum results with minimal effort. How wonderful it is when people feel they own the change process, have learned from it and are proud of the result achieved.  

Reimbursement: why it can sometimes be free  

If the impact is low, there is little room for playfulness and the time investment is high, then I will usually not commit myself to a change process. Sometimes, I can make a contribution with little effort, but then, as far as I'm concerned, the daily allowance will increase because it won't be playful. But if the impact is high, there is a lot of room for playfulness and the time investment can be overseen, then I can do it for free, or it can even cost me money.  

For example, for many years, I contributed to creating safety in a deprived neighborhood in Johannesburg, together with children. The best compensation you can get is playfulness in teamwork and seeing a valuable future in the eyes of children. That is worth more than any amount to me.  

Conclusions  

Clients often tend to outsource a problem to a consultant, who then becomes the owner of the problem. However, as a consultant, you are just a passerby who can never fully take that ownership, though you can lend a helping hand. Moreover, it often happens that the client is part of the problem. In that case, it is not appropriate to delegate the problem to a consultant as if you, as the client, play no part in it. Then, who takes responsibility for implementing the proposed solution?  

Assuming that responsibility can never be the consultant's role, at least if you want the solutions to work and become anchored in the attitude, behavior and working methods of all those involved. How much room do you have as a consultant to enter a relationship with all those involved? And is your client prepared to reflect on their own role in the problem and to take responsibility for the implementation of solutions together with others?  

Entering a partnership in organizational change is a matter of balance. Balance in the six criteria helps me to enter a collaborative relationship. It's also about keeping balance in my own energy. Not a single client has been helped by a stressed or overworked consultant. This means not entering too many assignments at the same time. It also means not letting yourself be absorbed by the dynamics of a consultancy process.  

Dedicated attention to what is going on and making time and space for a careful analysis is essential, as well as continuing to look for connection with all those involved, enduring tensions, and making time for reflection and relaxation. If an advisory process gets under your skin or if it regularly gets you awake, the balance needs to be improved. If others see you as the hero or pioneer of change, things usually don't end well.  

Balance can be restored by taking more distance, discussing the tension, involving more people, or finding more time. It is not easy, but it is necessary for a healthy advisory process and for implementing a supported and sustainable solution for the problem presented.