Consulting is a dynamic process, and each engagement invites a slightly different approach—or, more likely, many different approaches over the course of our collaboration. Sometimes, the most important thing we can offer is simply keeping a project moving forward with task-oriented project management. In some moments our clients come to us with a strong hunch about the right next step, and all that’s needed is a bit of coaching. And sometimes, our clients are feeling rather out of their depth and are looking for some honest guidance on a challenging topic. In any of these dynamics, our hope is simply to make the work our clients are already doing stronger.
The feedback I hear most often from our clients is that it’s reassuring simply to have a companion on their journey as they develop or reimagine their center. And indeed we’ve been talking more and more about the importance of walking alongside our consulting clients rather than leading them. This reframe reminds us that consulting is an exchange, in that we often learn as much (more?) from our clients as they learn from us, and because it’s only through participating in the present moment that we see and offer what’s needed.