On Thu, 13 Feb 1997 FVoehl@aol.com wrote:
> IMHO, the reason many 'bold pronouncements' don't work is that they are
> official/formal/prescribed -- and that usually means 'coming from the
> outside'. Change seems to work better coming from 'within' the system.
>
> I would like to offer the following perspective on the above post.
> Although there is a school of thought that states 'the-out-of-towner is
> always the expert', my own view is to beware of a consultant with an
> investment in his/her initial conception of a problem and possible
> solution. Someone who immediately says that they have the program you need
> may indeed be jumping the gun. A good consultant must be willing to work
> with you to understand the current situation fully, so that you can both
> agree on what has to be done. The marks of a good consultant is one who
> will listen carefully, absorb data, ask questions and practice
> open-mindedness to the very end; one who will level with you rather than
> try to please you. In other words, beware of the consultant who says they
> can do anything. They rarely can.
>
> Frank Voehl (FVoehl@aol.com)
Yes, Frank,
As one of those consultants, I find that a great temptation is to be the
expert, with the "right" answers for the client's situation. Frequently, I
find the problem isn't knowing the right answer, but having the communal
will to acknowledge it and then act upon. In that sense the consultant
really is a facilitator, rather than an expert.
I've seen consultants come into a situation with their canned program,
force its "logical" conclusions, then leave without having to bear the
consequences. The difficulty then is having something specific to offer
which is appropriate. And that only comes from listening to their
experience, and being very clear on what you do know and what you don't,
and not giving them what you don't know, but can pass off as expertise.
Thanks for your insight,
Ed Brenegar
brenegar@bulldog.unca.edu
--Edwin Brenegar III <brenegar@bulldog.unca.edu>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>