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August 04, 2005
Challenging clients - an overheard conversation
It is interesting to hear bits and pieces of what people say in the elevator, but it also reveals a lot about their thinking and attitutes. May be the speed of an elevator pressures us to reveal deeply hidden secrets, such as the one below:
Last week, I was in an elevator with a group of consultants and overheard their conversation.
The female consultant talked to another person, obviously a colleague.
She told him that clients should just leave her alone. She just wants to get down to work and do what she is suppose to do and what she believes is right. Further, she stated that she is happy to be in business development. Here, she can move on after a project has been won. She wouldn't like to be on projects because the project team is the one that faces the music for several months when working with the client.
Does this sound right? Not to me - to me, this is absolutely rubbish!
This is what I believe:
As a consultant, you need clients who challenge you and it is your damn duty as a consultant to stand your ground, to work together, to get the input from your client, to share knowledge, to gain knowledge, and to transfer knowledge.
It is wrong to think that just because you are a consultant, clients should leave you alone.
Again - we need clients who constantly challenge consultants, stretch them to the limit because without this, how can a client grow and a consultant stay in business?
Okay - there are clients that you need to fire as a company. Not all clients are nice clients. But, damn it, if you work with clients, work with them to the best. Or leave your line of employment and do something, where you are left alone.
Posted by Andreas at August 4, 2005 03:36 PM