How WorkWell Consultants Engage For Success From The Beginning
Hiring a consultant to join your project is an exciting milestone for the team. There is often relief on the team that help is coming, workload can be dispersed, new ideas can help push stalls forward and a fresh perspective can bring a new energy. However, it is fair to say there is also potential anxiety or nerves many feel when having consultants join the team. These concerns can stem from feeling unprepared for a new member to join the team, how a new personality can change the team dynamics and so on.
At WorkWell, we take pride in our ability to bring the best talent to the table and integrate seamlessly into a team. Talent that is not only well-versed in their specific area of expertise, but talent that is able to adapt to the personality of the client team they are joining is critical to engagement success. Bringing a utility player mentality to the engagement in order expedite support, workload relief and forward progress helps ensure a consultant can make adjustments at any juncture to provide the results and value that is required at any given moment. To be able to do this effectively there are three things Work-Well Consultants do each time they start an engagement: 1) Listen more, 2) Build meaningful relationships &, 3) act as flexible, utility players.
#1 Listen more than we speak
It is no secret consultants often come in with a million ideas and are ready to jump quickly to a solution that can be implemented immediately. That is a great benefit of bringing in a consultant because their vast experience allows for more expedient execution. However, we believe for long-term client success, we need to understand the reality of what has occurred on the project thus far, the reality of the root causes beneath any issues that might be consistently occurring and the reality of the team dynamics and needs. By listening with intention at the onset of the engagement, we can pick up on team preferences, common themes in the projects, and unspoken needs to more effectively prioritize project urgencies. This deliberate intentionality sets us up for a more successful, client focused engagement.
#2 Develop relationships early
In order to implement proposed strategies and tactically progress on any work effort, it is imperative to understand who is involved on the project and to what extent. What does the project leadership look like? Who are the key players across the business whose voices need to be included and considered? How is everyone defining success? Are they aligned or are their different perspectives that need to be worked through? What do people feel is going well or needs improvement? Who do we need to interact with most often and why? Strategically building relationships with the individuals who can foster our understanding of the businesses’ way of operating will help capitalize on the operational norms to drive project success.
#2 Balance our expertise with a utility player approach
When consultants are brought into a project it is often to fill a specific knowledge gap or to lend support in a specific area of focus. Our consultants have significant experience in their area of specific expertise, such as project management, change management, marketing, etc. They bring this expertise to every engagement and leverage it fully. At the same time, WorkWell consultants understand complexities and new priorities arise and it is almost never a linear path to success. That’s why we are firm advocates of lending support where the project needs it. Consultants come with a toolkit that has been built over the years comprised of the knowledge gained from working across multiple industries and multiple organizations with different cultures and norms. A utility player approach means we are willing to learn new skills, support immediate needs and adjust our focus in order to help the team at large succeed. This balance of application of discipline expertise and taking a utility player approach lends itself to better outcomes.
If you’re project is ready to bring on a consultant, let’s connect and talk about the talent we have ready to support you and how they will be able to adapt to your project and your business so you can have confidence in a client-focused experience. We have premier talent with a vast amount of expertise to support your organization through large transformational changes or any size project that needs to be carefully planned to achieve a particular outcome. Let’s bring these changes to life, reach out and let us know how we can help fill a need in your business. Let’s WorkWell, together.