Category Archives: Promising Practices

Promising Practices is Howick Associates terminology. We don’t believe that there are “Best Practices” that can be applied universally. But after 25 years of experience, we know that there are Promising Practices that can be adapted and used to achieve succesful results. We will highlight those practices in posts that are a part of this category.

Using Influence Mapping for Greater Success

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Posted by Kathleen on May 20, 2009 – 12:32 pm
Filed under Engagement, Facilitation, Promising Practices, Tools

Influence can make or break your best efforts as a consultant.  If you have influence on your side, you can minimize barriers and break down obstacles to understanding and progress.  Everyone who works inside a large organization understands the power of influence.  But how do you access and plan for positive influence?

We’ve used influence maps to chart a course for success on large-scale projects and smaller, individual coaching efforts.  Proactively discussing and planning for positive influence can take time up front.  But the rewards of those efforts pay off when you have influential leaders on board who are champions of change.

Every expert acknowledges that executive support is the linchpin to success in organizational effort so why not take time to identify key influence strategies at the beginning of your project? 

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The Influence Map outlines a structured process that helps individuals and/or teams:

  • Identify key audience groups
  • Determine the nature of resistance
  • Plan influence strategies to positively impact stakeholders

Using this process early on in a change effort will clarify communication and influence plans, minimize ambiguities, and support the development of broad-based understanding and buy-in.  This tool includes a worksheet to help individuals and/or groups identify influence strategies on three levels–personal motivation, social/group motivation and structural motivation.  This approach helps leaders influence more efficiently and effectively by addressing the specific needs of their key stakeholder groups.

Consulting Questions for Current Conditions

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Posted by Kathleen on May 15, 2009 – 2:36 pm
Filed under Change, High Gain Questions, Promising Practices, Uncategorized

We belive in the power of questions.  Dialogue is the basis of every healthy client relationship, and every successful business partnership.  And good questions are at the heart of effective dialogue.  So what are some of the questions we are asking now?

As consultants we have to be mindful of the changing environment, and be prepared to share our expertise to help others through the uncertainty that is associated with every economic recession.  Here is a list of  six high-gain questions for consultants to consider as they review their work plans and other project plans with their customers.

  1. Do I have the right approach to help this business thrive in current circumstances?
  2. What assumptions are no longer valid for our decision-making efforts?
  3. How have our roles and responsibilities changed?
  4. How has the current volatility affected our data?
  5. Are we communicating a coherent future direction?
  6. How are we evaluating and adapting change strategies?

Anxiety and uncertainty drive decision-making in difficult situations like these.  Decisions about how to achieve goals of reduced total costs, increased productivity/quality, and enhanced efficiency have to be tempered with thoughtful consideration of how to develop necessary flexibility, foster innovation and creativity, and continue to improve communications.  Planning for the long-term requires a careful analysis of the implications of current conditions on plans and activities.  Use these questions to begin that dialogue, and then let us know if you develop any additional valuable High Gain Questions for current conditions.

Communication Planning

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Posted by Kathleen on May 12, 2009 – 2:04 pm
Filed under Change, Promising Practices, Tools, Uncategorized

The fundamental importance of effective communication cannot be overstated.  We have all experienced moments of confusion, and even anxiety, as a result of poor communication.  Inside a complex organization communication becomes even more powerful–It is the primary means to motivate and engage a diverse workforce to collaborate, innovate and succeed.

When we work as consultants, we have to be effective and efficient at developing and using communication plans to clarify and align efforts, recognize and reward achievement, build a sense of urgency, and empower others to maximize engagement.  Since communication is the basis of all human understanding, consulting and collaboration require thoughtful attention to the audience, content, objectives, and mode of critical messages.  We use a simple matrix, The Communications Planning Tool to organize our communication efforts and minimize confusion and ambiguity.

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There are many different versions of this tool.  We use this simple format to clarify the critical audiences for information along with specific details about the objective of our messaging, the content of the message, what media is appropriate, and who will deliver the message.  This kind of proactive planning takes time up front in any project, but in the end you save time by maximizing influence and minimizing confusion.  Let us know how you use this tool or similar tools on your project work.

Internal Consulting in a Virtual Environment

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Posted by Kathleen on April 6, 2009 – 12:25 pm
Filed under Facilitation, Promising Practices, Tools

In the last couple of years, we have all been doing a lot more consulting “virtually”–Asking questions, clarifying assumptions and expectations, trying to support individuals who live and work in regions and time zones that are different from our own.  Learning to manage and support virtual collaboration is critical to success for consultants today. 

When we meet and work ”virtually” we lose 60% of the communication signals that we receive if we meet and work face-to-face.  We lose facial expressions, eye contact, body language, and some level of verbal intonation and emphasis.  In other words, a lot of information gets lost, and that makes collaboration and cooperation more difficult. 

Getting clarity  and agreement on specific objectives, team roles and responsibilities and progress can help.  We have inserted a couple of links here to tools that assist internal consultants capture in clarifying next steps and accountabilities quickly, efficiently and effectively. 

  • RACI is a Responsibility Matrix that captures ownership and accountabilities for key project tasks  raci
  • Team Goals/Roles Tool helps teams assess and track progress on role clarity, team cooperation and movement toward goals teams-goals-roles

These tools can easily be adapted to reflect the specific needs and roles of your project.  They can also easily be uploaded to share on any virtual meeting platform to enable discussion and consensus-building.  Our goal is to provide structured templates to assist internal consultants in capturing, documenting and sharing virtual team responsibilities.  Using these simple tools on any size virtual effort can create greater understanding, accountability and ownership for success.  

Consulting and Decision-Making

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Posted by Kathleen on February 5, 2009 – 11:42 am
Filed under Promising Practices, Tools

Decision making inside organizations can take place in less than ideal circumstances.  Intense pressure to make quick decisions, high stakes, and lots of ambiguity, can make thorough decision-making difficult.  At times individuals and teams use experience and instinct as the basis for decisions rather than slow down the process.

In between gut instinct and “analysis paralysis” is a logical and practical approach that helps individuals and groups weigh options and evaluate the impact of different alternatives.  Decision-making tools facilitate this approach because they take the guess work out of the process and build alignment amongst many perspectives and agendas through dialogue.

I have added a link to one tool below.  The Decision Matrix that is easy-to-use and adaptable to many different circumstances.  This tool (like all of the Howick Tools for Engagement) includes a step-by-step facilitation guide and a sample matrix to use as a guide if you have never used these kinds of tools before.

Decision Matrix Tool

Getting a group of individuals to collaborate, understand one another’s perspective’s and make choices that ensure positive outcomes outweigh any potential negative implications can be challenging without the benfit of structure.  By assisting their partners in making structured decisions, and proactively identify the implications of their choices with a tool like the Decision Matrix, internal consultants help their partners have more control over alternatives, direction and results because quality decisions have a direct link to business results.

Share different decision-making tools with others by adding your comments to this post.

 

 

Consulting is a Relationship Business

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Posted by Kathleen on January 23, 2009 – 6:05 pm
Filed under Engagement, Promising Practices, Uncategorized

Some relationships in the professional world are all business.  Others are more involved, including mutual interests, and shared experiences.   Consultants have to practice reading the social style of their business partners in order to leverage their strengths, tailor interactions, and create a working relationship that reflects the style and needs of each individual customer. 

Internal consultants need to have a systematic approach–We need to deliver consistent service,  and excellent results, using tools and methods that build collaboration, buy-in and support.  But to create trusting, working relationships with our customers, we need to deliver our products and services with a personal touch too.  That’s where leveraging your strengths comes in. 

In every consulting situation Howick Associates relies on our natural curiosity and willingness to ask questions to help us define the scope of work.  But we use those skills to get to know our clients, and create relationships with them.  By demonstrating our real interest with questions and dialogue, we can differentiate ourselves from others, and provide more personal service. 

I’ve added a video link here to YouTube.  This is a short, inspirational video on how one individual leveraged his strengths to create a more personal service, even though he was “just a bagger.”       

 The Simple Truth of Service

Consider your natural talents, and identify one or two strengths you can use to make a difference in your professional relationships.  Share your ideas with others through comments on this site!

Negotiation for Internal Consulting

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Posted by Kathleen on January 16, 2009 – 3:36 pm
Filed under Engagement, High Gain Questions, Promising Practices

Internal consultants need to be skillful negotiators.  Our work within organizations is about creating outcomes that benefit all interested parties.  In order to be successful, we need to be prepared. 

Effective negotiation requires clarity about the specific objectives of our discussions.  We also need to understand the benefits of those objectives to individuals and others that may have different (and sometimes competing) agendas.  As you prepare to negotiate, good high-gain questions to consider are:

  1. In this negotiation, what are my objectives?
  2. What are the objectives of other parties involved in these negotiations?
  3. What are the benefits of the objectives?

While the specific details of any situation will dictate how consultants need to prepare, all negotiations share some similar characteristics that require consideration and planning for successful outcomes.  We have offered high-gain questions here for self-reflection to help you prepare:

  1. Get your facts straight–Have I done all my homework?
  2. Assess the power dynamic–Who has the organizational power in these discussions?  What steps can I take to level the field for negotiation?
  3. Plan the discussion–Have I identified the benefits, considered all the alternatives and worst-case scenarios? Have I organized an agenda with input from all parties to focus on action-planning and decision-making?
  4. Share information thoughtfully–What information is most valuable to this negotiation?
  5. Maintain control of the discussion–What are the parameters of this discussion?  What is in-scope, and out-of-scope now?

But perhaps most importantly, successsful negotiation depends upon effectively communicating–articulating ideas, actively listening, and asking good questions.  So, our communication style, our experience, and our emotional intelligence all affect our ability to negotiate. 

The words we choose, our ligusitic behavior, and our body language can be as important as what we say.  As you prepare for negotiations, consider how you will plan to manage the anxiety that accompanies stressful conversations.  Ask yourself:

  • How do I react in stressful situations?
  • What emotional triggers are present in this negotiation that may side-track my focus? 
  • How will I manage my anxiety in this negotiation? 
  • How can I plan ahead to demonstrate flexibility, and sensitivity to improve negotiation outcomes. 

 Consultants can improve their negotiation outcomes by planning carefully and approaching discussions with self-awareness.  Try using these questions to help you prepare for your next consulting negotiation.  Share your results with us in comments, and then share your own tips and techniques for successful negotiation.

Managing Multiple Priorities

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Posted by Kathleen on January 13, 2009 – 11:47 am
Filed under Engagement, Promising Practices

When we are consulting we are always juggling multiple priorities.  It is the nature of our work.  It is challenging to balance our efforts, and meet the different needs of multiple clients.  Sometimes we can leverage our work with one client to help another.  But more often each consulting opportunity requires specialized expertise.  How can we prioritize effectively?

The beginning of a new year represents an opportunity to re-assess how we manage the balancing act that is consulting.  We often find ourselves prioritizing by deadline.  We put effort and energy into accomplishing what is required most immediately, and in the process, we set aside work on other opportunities.  But we may not be managing our work efficiently when we prioritize in this manner.  And we may not be aligning our efforts with other colleagues appropriately.

We use TASK LISTS and a prioritization-grid-tool to help ourselves understand priorities and gain agreement with others about where and how we spend our time.  This tool includes a facilitation guide and worksheets for helping us analyze multiple priorities.

The facilitation guide is helpful for engaging others in discussion about priorities.  The dialogue that results from these discussions builds buy-in and creates alignment on teams.  The worksheets are important tools for helping anyone who works as a consultant to gather data on all their different project work and then organize those projects in terms of their urgency and importance. 

What’s in a Question?

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Posted by Kathleen on September 4, 2008 – 2:06 pm
Filed under High Gain Questions, Promising Practices

Recently I found myself helping a stranger in a US Passport Agency office.  The experience reminded me again about the importance of asking good questions. 

As a young man got in line behind me, I couldn’t help but notice his haggard appearance.  And then he began to cry.   My immediate impulse was to ask, “Are you alright?”   But  I considered my options and asked instead, “Is there anything I can do to help you?”  His answer involved continued assistance, but after I heard his story, I wanted to help.

He had driven all night from Detroit to Chicago upon hearing that his beloved grandfather had passed away in the Middle East.   He was completely unprepared for the trip and couldn’t find his passport.  By asking how I might help I learned more about his situation and helped him solve his immediate problems of identification and forms.  That solution enabled him to achieve his goal which was a new passport.

Consultants are often in situations that resemble the one I experienced.  The quality of our questions, and they way we present our assistance can have a big impact on the results we can achieve together. 

Roles and Responsibilities

  • For consultants, the desired outcome should always be to help clients succeed, and in doing so create mutually beneficial solutions 
  • To do that effectively and consistently we have to develop our skills at asking thoughtful questions
  • Asking thoughtful questions helps us develop more understanding our interactions with others.
  • Better questions result in more precise evaluation,  and more effective, creative solutions. 

High Gain Questions Worth Asking!

What will happen if we don’t do anything?

Who else will be affected by this situation?

What is the bottom-line impact of this issue? 

Is there data that demonstrates the bottom-line impact? 

What will success look like?

Where will we see the indicators of success?

SHARE YOUR FAVORITE HIGH GAIN QUESTION!

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Listening is Fundamental

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Posted by Kathleen on August 11, 2008 – 12:24 pm
Filed under Engagement, Internal Consulting for Results, Promising Practices

Those who study communication estimate that listening takes up more waking hours than any other human communication activity.  If you are not listening, you are not learning.  

We demonstrate that we are not listening through non-verbal messages and unconscious behavior.  reasons-for-poor-listening In doing so, we reveal that our mind is closed and there is nothing of interest being conveyed to us.  This is not effective consulting!

Measures For Success

Successful listening as a consultant includes both attentive and critical listening.  These skills go beyond the basics of developing understanding and memory recall of the facts and ideas.  When people listen attentively and critically they have engagement goals as well. 

Consultants are successfully listening when we:

  • Make eye contact
  • Maintain an engaging posture and attitude while we facilitate dialogue, rephrase and reflect the facts, emotions and meanings in what we are hearing. 
  • Analyze and evaluate what we hear as we put this new information into the broader context of our knowledge and experience. 
  • Focus and concentrate to minimize distractions
  • Prepare to interact with others in an intentional way even during informal discussions.

FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS FOR ALL CONSULTANTS!

What listening approaches have you adopted to better gather information?

What listening approaches have you adopted to improve or strengthen relationships?

 

To Learn More

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