Shut Your Mouth
Jim Harris in Data Quality tagged Best of 2010, Communication, Consulting, Phil Simon, Philosophy Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 8:58PM New data quality consultants ask me for advice all the time.
Some are “new” because they are just starting their career. Others are new because the recent economy has provided them the “opportunity” for a career in consulting.
Either way, when asked if I have one key piece of advice to offer, I respond immediately with:
“Shut Your Mouth.”
Understandably, an explanation is always required.
The Path of Least Resistance
My advice is sometimes misunderstood as:
“Just do as your told—don't rock the boat.”
I have been a consultant for most of my career and in various capacities, namely for the services group of software companies, for consulting firms, and also as an independent.
From my perspective, consultants provide extensive experience and best practices from successful implementations. Their goal is to help clients avoid common mistakes and customize a solution to their specific business needs.
Their primary responsibility is to make themselves obsolete as quickly as possible by providing mentoring, documentation, training, and knowledge transfer.
A consultant that chooses the path of least resistance by always agreeing with you is not worth the money you are paying them.
To quote a favorite (canceled) television show:
“If you are stupid, then surround yourself with smart people.
If you are smart, then surround yourself with smart people who will disagree with you.”
The Art of Communication
Perhaps inevitably, my advice then becomes misunderstood as:
“I shouldn't be afraid to speak my mind—and tell them like it is!”
Not so fast—put the bullhorn down—and slowly back away.
Communication is more art than science.
The ability to effectively communicate is an essential skill for all (and not just data quality) consultants.
More than anything else, effective communication requires (in fact, demands) excellent listening skills.
I often joke consultants shouldn't be allowed to speak for at least their first two weeks.
In other words—and yes, I am also talking to you, World's Foremost Expert Supercalifragilistic Consultant—there definitely needs to be less of you telling your clients what you think, and more of you listening to what your clients have to say.
You must seek first to understand your client's current environment from both the business and technical perspectives.
Only after you have achieved this understanding, will you then seek to be understood regarding your extensive experience of the best practices that you have seen work on successful data quality initiatives.
Can Consultants Lead?
This great question (and the interesting debate it sparked) was the title of an excellent recent blog post by Phil Simon.
My conversation in the comments section with Don Frederiksen, included my paraphrasing of Chapter 17 of the Tao Te Ching (since I literally own eight different English translations, please note I am quoting from possibly my all-time favorite, the “American poetic” translation by Witter Bynner), where I substituted the word leader with the word consultant:
A consultant is best
When people barely know that he exists,
Not so good when people obey and acclaim him,
Worst when they despise him.
‘Fail to honor people,
They fail to honor you;’
But of a good consultant, who talks little,
When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
They will all say, ‘We did this ourselves.’
Shut Your Mouth
Good communication is a bad mother—Shut Your Mouth!
I'm talking about becoming a better listener.
Can you dig it?
Related Posts
Not So Strange Case of Dr. Technology and Mr. Business
The Three Musketeers of Data Quality
You're So Vain, You Probably Think Data Quality Is About You
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Reader Comments (8)
I could not agree more!
I try and practice this on each engagement I am on and I am continuously surprised why some colleagues think I am not inputting enough. My feeling is what can I say of value until I understand the problem (which takes some time).
Once again, Jim, we are on the same page!
Good post, Jim. I couldn't agree more with your sentiment here:
Their primary responsibility is to make themselves obsolete as quickly as possible by providing mentoring, documentation, training, and knowledge transfer.
Of course, as you know, this is a two-way street.
Clients have to allow themselves to be trained, consulted, and led to the pond. This isn't always the case. Absent a willingness, senior management has to sometimes not-so-gently encourage people to get with the program.
We consultants can only do so much.
Another great post Jim, listening, and understanding, even empathizing is key in all engagements. I also agree with Phil, that the client needs to be willing, and needs to be as good a listener as you.
You do get cases though where talking up early on the engagement is key to its success, especially when you arrive and find your client either at the edge of a cliff about to jump off, or about to head down a road that would be very difficult to turn off. And then you get those clients who are just Supercalifragilisticly stoopid …
Balance and choosing your moment to talk is an art often learnt through practice and experience, listening even more so.
In my opinion, this is a very slippery slope.
This post is true in a world of good-hearted people where everyone wants the best for the team.
In real world, the consultant is someone to blame for every problem the project encounters, e.g., she shouts the mouth she'll never be able to stand the critique and will be fired soon. The better situation is having expressed a clear recommendation and having the customer not following it, so to be formally shielded by any form of critique.
The consultant is likely to be caught in no man's land between opposing factions of the project, and must be able to take the right side by a clear statement. Some customers ask the consultants what's the best thing to do, to blame the consultant instead of themselves if something go wrong.
Given all this, the advice to listen carefully to the customer is absolutely the #1 lesson a consultant must learn.
Yes! Yes! and Yes!
And this approach should also be used when trying to understand client business goals and requirements for projects and when you are a team leader! Sit back, ask lots of questions (almost to the point of coaching), and listen to what the people have to say. If you follow this approach you are almost guaranteed to be successful!
Thanks Jim!
Thanks everyone for your excellent (as always) comments!
Best Regards,
Jim
Great posting Jim! There is a reason God gave us 2 ears and only 1 mouth. We should listen more than we talk ;-)
Thanks!
The most common problem in communication is that all want to speak.
Nobody wants to listen except for themselves.
It's amazing how many are unaware of this simple truth, perhaps we have been more selfish than we think. :-)