lying needs. A professional cannot help you find the best solution without under-
standing your underlying needs.
❑ Talk with your professionals about how they can add value to your organization.
Unfortunately, many professionals are techies, focused on the technical excellence of
projects, not on the business results. One of the biggest complaints of the clients of
professionals is, “They don’t understand my business.” Take time to discuss your busi-
ness direction, needs, and constraints.
❑ Involve professionals early in business decisions. The sooner professionals are at the
table to hear the context of your business and decisions, the better they can help you
with what you really need—business solutions, not technical solutions. Invite profes-
sionals to meetings where problems and strategies are being discussed that are perti-
nent to their expertise.
❑ On occasion, have a taking stock meeting focused on improving the partnership—the
consulting relationship—using the checklist provided in the Web Worksheet. Ask ques-
tions like, “What is working?” and “What could be improved?” Paradoxically, the bus-
ier everyone is, the more imperative it is to get off the treadmill and step back to look
at the bigger picture.
❑ Clarify expectations more clearly. Research shows that 80 percent of conflict arises
from unclear expectations. Business partners want to avoid having to say, “That’s not
what I need.”
❑ With the professional, read and discuss another tool in this book, ☛13.11 Delivering
Expertise. It provides specific models for delivering one’s expertise.HOW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL
“Because the ‘players’ in an information-based organization are specialists, they cannot be told how
to do their work. There are probably few orchestra leaders who could coax even one note out
of a French horn, let alone show the horn player how to do it. But the conductor can focus the horn
player’s skill and knowledge on the musicians’ joint performance. And this focus is what the
leaders of an information-based business must be able to achieve.”
—Peter Drucker, “THE COMING OF THE NEW ORGANIZATION,”
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEWTo get the kind of professional advice you need in order to lead a modern organization, you
need to periodically sit down with your key support professionals and discuss what works well
and how both of you can improve the relationship.
Position this meeting as a 50-50 partnership-building meeting. You expect value-added
support from professionals, and professionals expect support from you. Select from this check-
list those items the two of you will discuss at such a meeting. Keep in mind that both profes-
sionals and clients are often more adept at the first group, Logical Review Items, than they are
at the second group, Relationship Review Items.
WEB WORKSHEET
CHECKLIST FOR PROFESSIONAL EXPERT−LEADER CLIENT MEETINGS
Use this checklist to highlight those items that are most helpful to you.
Logical Review Items:
❑ What past and current results are you each happy with?SECTION 4 TOOLS FORDESIGNINGPRODUCTIVEPROCESSES ANDORGANIZATIONS 133