Spotlight On Consulting Issues
Becoming A Trusted Advisor: Moving From Theory to the Real World
Steve Kincaid, Ph.D.
Jagdish Sheth, Ph.D., author of Clients For Life and The Power of Three, offered a compelling keynote speech at the 2003 SCP Mid-Winter Conference entitled "Becoming A Trusted Advisor."  Building on Dr. Sheth's ideas, Bill Amberg, Diana Gordick, William Horst, Laurie Moret and Andrea Wieland offer insights into their efforts to become a trusted advisor.  Each of these SCP members is at a different stage in his/her career and brings a unique perspective on what works in the real world.

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Dr. Sheth began by suggesting that professional service providers, including consulting psychologists, should expect to see an increasing commoditization of our services.  Have you found this to be true in the marketplace?  How?  

To the extent that a consulting psychologist is already connected to a client system, is seen as credible, and is linked to their corporate strategy,  I believe that there is less of a need to commoditize the work.
Laurie Moret

Diana Gordick
 I have seen an increasing push for quick deliverables that can be easily and inexpensively used across organizational levels.  I consider assessments, brief training, one-day teambuilding workshops, etc., as commodities, and these continue to have some popularity.  However, firms have often used these methods prior to working with a psychologist, and found their needs remained unmet.  It is important to create a dialog with clients to gain a clear understanding of problem areas and provide insight regarding past pitfalls.  This dialog can then be used to create an overall strategy, rather than simply plugging in a quick solution.  It’s difficult to have this conversation when you restrict yourself to a commodity perspective.

William Horst
Yes, there is an increasing commoditization of our services.  This occurs more at the mid- and lower levels than at the executive and senior executive levels.  Technology increases the ease and accessibility of services but makes the relationship and context more difficult to establish.  As Dr. Sheth emphasized, it is up to us to make our services unique and customized in order to establish a deeper trust with the client.

Laurie Moret
I agree with Dr. Sheth’s observation as it relates to consulting psychology, however, I think it varies by what level of an organization you are working at and to what extent you are already engaged.  To the extent that a consulting psychologist is already connected to a client system, is seen as credible, and is linked to their corporate strategy, I believe that there is less of a need to commoditize the work. However, in a new relationship, I believe there is an increased tendency to view the consulting psychologist as a vendor and the work as a transaction. Some specific areas where I anticipate clients desire to commoditize the work will accelerate are coaching, survey and assessment, and training and development initiatives.

Andrea Wieland
Commoditization may occur due partially to the psychological tendency of consumers to lump, categorize and blur differences of products and services that seem to offer similar features.  We are in an age of information overload and it may seem to some that significant effort would be required to research and detect differences; time they may be unwilling to spend.  I find myself spending about 25% of my time “selling” potential customers how my services are different than what they may have received in the past, or correcting or affirming their perceptions about my services.  It seems natural to have to do this as credentialing for “consulting” work does not exist (i.e., anyone can be a “consultant” or call themselves an “executive coach”), and the definition of our field is not uniformly defined and agreed upon.

Bill Amberg
As the economy waivers more and more, experienced individuals who are often untrained in psychology find their way into “consulting” or “coaching” roles that are sometimes beyond their scope.  Also, expense control practices often cause companies to buy the “cheapest” professional service, without sufficient regard for the qualifications of the provider.

To avoid being seen as simply a vendor of a commoditized service, Dr. Sheth says consultants must move from being viewed as expert for hire or even a steady supplier to being a trusted advisor.  What do you find are the critical issues for earning the trust of your clients?

Listening closely and asking the right questions rather than immediately framing packaged solutions lets my clients know their goals are my main priority.
Diana Gordick

William Horst
A full commitment to giving the time to understand and anticipate the client’s needs is essential to earn trust.  This can include understanding their products, customers and industry.  Going beyond their expectations to understand the context of their leadership allows the consulting psychologist to recognize areas of development and prepare them for the future.  Synthesizing information, as well as taking the risk of giving feedback that others withhold, creates the openness that is needed for a trusted advisor.

Laurie Moret
To earn the trust of a client means to not always take the safe route in offering what they want to hear but offering what you believe to be true. This means being willing to take risks and speak the truth, even when it hurts. Executives often have few trusted colleagues at the top with whom they can be vulnerable. A consulting psychologist who is able to hear their concerns and fears and respond in ways that add value and offer new opinions and insights can be a unique resource. To do this, a consulting psychologist must have integrity and self-confidence and work flexibly and with high tolerance for ambiguity and process-oriented work.

Andrea Wieland
The key issues are:

  • Availability/accessibility (emotionally, physically, mentally)

  • Consistent and persistent contact/Follow-up—saying what you said you’d do

  • Positive, Authentic

  • Openness

  • Non-judgmental attitude

  • Keeping clients’ best interest/well-being in mind

  • Expertise-offers information, perspective that expands client’s thinking/capacity

Bill Amberg
An in-depth understanding of the organization’s purpose, people and structure; values, norms, and traditions; and its cultural and integrating forces are necessary in order to provide an accurate and timely consulting prospective.  This takes thorough, in-depth understanding, the essentials of a trusted advisor, too often overlooked in providing immediate cause-effect solutions.  Regular contact, in various venues over time, is the key.

Diana Gordick
 For me, it usually works best to close my mouth and let the client educate me a bit.  They are well versed in their business challenges and provide information that helps me understand their situation.  Sometimes listening to what they are not telling me is important.  Listening closely and asking the right questions rather than immediately framing packaged solutions lets them know their goals are my main priority.

Dr. Sheth believes a key behavior of trusted advisors is what he calls selfless independence, meaning the ability to balance a deep commitment to meeting client needs with an intellectual, emotional, and financial detachment.  This often requires the willingness to make short-term sacrifices in order to maintain long-term integrity.  What situations have you found yourself in where you needed to say “no” to a client?

Repeatedly, almost daily, the consultant must ask “is this in the best 
interest of the client, over my own?”
Bill Amberg

Laurie Moret
In entering a new client relationship, setting clear expectations is important. When a client has unrealistic expectations for the outcome of the work or any other aspect of the engagement, the decision to proceed must be taken seriously. For example, in one instance a client’s request for executive coaching for a Sr. VP of a line division was posed as a request to further develop this individual. Through dialogue with the President, it became evident that the desired predetermined outcome of the coaching was to separate the individual. This is inconsistent with a developmental coaching assignment and also impacts our work when the outcome is predetermined. As a result, I determined not to move forward with the work. The client came back and we reanalyzed the situation and their needs and agreed to a different piece of work to develop this individual.

Andrea Wieland
Situations that come to mind are maintaining confidentiality and boundaries around “Who is the client?”   I have had to say “no” to leaders who were interested in specific feedback from a specific team members which would have compromised my relationship with the leader, the team member, the team and the relationship between team members and leaders.  For the sake of all the relationships involved, and to develop long-term trust and respect, I had to say “no” to the client who was paying the bill.

Bill Amberg
Integrity in ethical applications is critical.  Knowing ones limits is crucial.  Repeatedly, almost daily, the consultant must ask “is this in the best interest of the client, over my own?”  I have brought in more specifically trained psychologists, referred work which I “could have done,” but not probably as well.  Most important is to establish your integrity by saying “no” or taking a contrary position when necessary.  It validates that the client’s best interests come first, over politics.

Diana Gordick
After having a longstanding relationship providing pre-selection and employee development assessments for a well-known consulting firm, one of the principles asked me to provide Myers-Briggs assessments for he and his future wife.  Although this work would have brought the additional charges required for a rapid turnaround (it was Thursday when he asked and he wanted it Sunday), I thought it best not to delve into it for several reasons.  Two of the main reasons are similar to what Dr. Sheth discusses.  First, I encourage my clients to take a long-range view rather than becoming deeply absorbed in day to day firefighting.  Immediately reacting and solving this problem would not reinforce this message.  Sometimes it’s difficult to detach from the client’s pull for an immediate reactive solution, but in the long run they have more respect for my ability to maintain a balanced perspective of our work together.  Second, I was aware that he already had a relationship with his pre-marital counselor who was also able to deliver the assessment.  We settled the boundaries by having the counselor provide the assessment and address his personal life, while I maintained the role of a psychologist addressing organizational issues.  

William Horst
It is important to say “no” when the services could be provided with higher quality by someone else.  This could be by internal resources or by other consultants.  Also in situations such as coaching, it is best to advise the client when the coaching assignment would be a poor investment.  The criteria should be based on what is best for the client.

Consultants who are able to develop client relationships that extend the length of their professional careers are those Dr. Sheth described as deep generalists who consistently integrate diverse areas of learning into their core expertise.  What ways have you found to be effective in broadening the base of knowledge you draw on to help your clients?

I listen for diverse perspectives that expand my current thinking, or which may throw a wrench into my system of thinking all together, which forces me to consider whether my current beliefs are functional or limiting.
Andrea Wieland

Andrea Wieland
I find that I have interests in other areas of study such as anthropology, philosophy, languages, athletics, spiritual/religious, nature, and animal behavior that help me think broadly about how natural processes, people, contexts may work or how they evolved.  Moreover, I also learn by asking questions, and engaging in dialogue with persons of diverse backgrounds to attempt to understand their human experience.  I listen for diverse perspectives that expand my current thinking, or which may throw a wrench into my system of thinking all together, which forces me to consider whether my current beliefs are functional or limiting.  Having a thirst for knowledge and desiring diverse learning experiences result in my consistently seeking opportunities (reading broadly, attending cultural events, traveling, watching movies, attending presentations/lectures) to grow, expand and to share with others.

Bill Amberg
I have been the coordinator among different consultants.  I have called upon colleagues for their expertise and in “staffing” client situations.  I have continually asked for detailed feedback about my services, and I have frequently learned about my client’s broadly, including various aspects of their personal lives.  Once I flew to a “neutral” city to meet a president and discuss a subject he felt was too sensitive to discuss except at a hotel in a different state.

Diana Gordick
I enjoy reading across a wide variety of areas.  Building friendships with individuals with different backgrounds and interests provides a great perspective that could easily be missed.  Keeping up with world events and economics - I’m a stock market nerd, so I love to keep up with the latest market news.  Awareness of events and how they may affect clients helps broaden my understanding of the client’s world.  All of these help me participate in conversations with my clients that further deepens my understanding of how business issues impact them directly.

William Horst
 It is important to read constantly in areas that impact the client.  I’ve read marketing and manufacturing reports as well as talked to consultants in these areas.  I try to keep abreast of what issues the industry associations are addressing.  Studying annual reports and listening to analyst calls are also helpful.

Laurie Moret
 Constant participation in community events, subscription to relevant periodicals, continuing education, and forging of new relationships all help to expand a broader knowledge base I can bring to my clients. Also, a willingness to connect my clients to other relevant resources when my expertise does not extend to a need they may allow me to stay connected and help the client meet a need.

Dr. Sheth noted that clients seek out advisors who have a clear sense of what they stand for, both as an individual and as a professional.  If a client were to directly ask you, how would you define your mission as a consulting psychologist?  

Bill Amberg
My mission is to do everything ethically possible to foster the success of the enterprise and its people.  In my view, the single most reliable indicator of a psychologically healthy workplace is a successful company, successful in meeting its objectives; then keeping that plow firmly in the ground over time.

Diana Gordick
My mission is to help clients maximize their personal, interpersonal, and organizational effectiveness.  This becomes more clearly defined with individual clients as we discuss the scope of the work we will do together.

William Horst
My mission is helping organizations, teams and individuals be more effective through a consulting partnership with the organization’s leaders.

Laurie Moret
My mission is to meet clients where they are at, identify their stated concerns, as well as additional areas in need of attention, and to offer my best skills in partnership with them to achieve desired results.  Maintaining consistency of character, integrity, and quality of service in each relationship is a goal I strive for in conjunction with the work.

Andrea Wieland
My mission to help individuals, teams (groups), and organizations increase their understanding of themselves and how they affect the "Bigger System," so they can make positive choices to benefit themselves, shareholders, and the world around them. My ultimate mission is to lend a hand in creating greater harmony on the planet by learning to think systemically, and act with integrity, and authenticity.  Outcomes may include healthier relationships internally and externally, greater wealth and enjoyment, balanced and productive lives, a cleaner environment, and respect for all living things.

Bill Amberg, Ph.D.
William F. Amberg, Ed. D. is President of Management & Organizational Psychologist, Inc.  He is licensed in Arizona, and is Board certified in Industrial and Organizational Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology.  Bill's firm works with companies in all business areas focusing on individual and organizational assessment and development.

Diana Gordick, Ph.D.
A recent graduate, Diana has formed Gordick & Associates and is in the process of building a service portfolio and developing client relationships.   As an individual practitioner, she manages all aspects of client care and service delivery, focusing on individual assessment and development, team development, and organizational assessment.

William Horst, Ph.D.
 Dr. William Horst joined RHR International in 1986.  He has worked extensively in the areas of leadership development, executive assessment and coaching, customer relationship development, change management, organizational studies, team development and merger integration.  He has consulted at the top levels of organizations, both domestically and globally.  His consultation has involved a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, high tech, utilities, financial services, health care, construction, education and not-for-profit organizations.

Laurie Moret, Ph.D.
 Laurie Moret is a Senior Organizational Consultant with Right Management Consultants, working to help business leaders craft the solutions they need in the areas of organizational development, leadership development, and talent management.  Laurie focuses on enhancing individual and team performance to produce business results.  Laurie aids clients in clarifying their present state, their ideal goals, and how to bridge the gap to achieve their vision.  Laurie’s approach is highly collaborative, with the intent of utilizing a company’s culture and establishing relationships to accomplish change objectives and leadership effectiveness.  She holds her B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, her M.A. in Community Counseling Psychology from the University of Georgia, and her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Arizona State University.

Andrea Wieland, Ph.D.
Dr. Andrea Wieland is finishing her pre-doctoral internship at the U. of Texas at Austin Mental Health and Counseling Center.  She plans to graduate from The University of Iowa Counseling Psychology program in August 2003, complementing the MBA she earned from Iowa in 2002.   Andrea competed on the 1996 Olympics in field hockey team, has played international competition for 13 years, and is the owner of Winning Systems, Inc., a consulting company focused on coaching intercollegiate athletic coaches on how to be more effective leaders, helping athletes with mental performance plans, and building athletic teams for championship performance.

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