Flawless consulting : a guide to getting your expertise used /

Record Details

Peter Block ; illustrated by Janis Nowlan.

edition

2nd ed.

imprint

San Francisco : Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer c2000.

description

xxvii, 371 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

ISBN

0787948039 (acid-free paper)

format(s)

Book

Holdings

In

Business (Milt Harris Library)

Stacks

HD69 .C6 B57 2000
Browse Shelf

Subjects

subject

Business consultants.

More Details

author

Block, Peter, 1939-

title

Flawless consulting : a guide to getting your expertise used / Peter Block ; illustrated by Janis Nowlan.

imprint

San Francisco : Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer c2000.

isbn

0787948039 (acid-free paper)

catalogue key

8421033

Includes bibliographical references (p. 368-370).

A Look Inside

Excerpts

Flap Copy

For Fifteen Years, internal and external consultants have relied on Peter Block's landmark bestseller, Flawless Consulting, to learn how to deal effectively with clients, peers, and others. Using illustrative examples, case studies, and exercises, the author-one of the most important in his field-offers you his legendary warmth and insight. This much-awaited edition is for you ... even if you don't think of yourself as a "consultant." What's new in the second edition? All new chapters include: * Whole Systems Discovery * Implementation * Strategies for Engagement * Ethics and the Shadow Side of Consulting * The Heart of the Matter and more! Plus updated information on: * Flawless Consulting * From Diagnosis to Discovery * Preparing for Feedback.

Reviews

Review Quotes

"Who would have thought the 'consultant's bible' could be improved upon? Count on Peter Block -the consulting profession's very own revolutionary-to push us to confront and struggle with the paradoxes inherent in our work." (Candace Thompson, organization development consultant, First Chicago NBD - A Bank One Company) "The first question to ask any consultants: Have you read Peter Block's Flawless Consulting? If they say no, don't hire them. Peter Block's advice is flawless!" (Barry Z. Posner, dean and professor of leadership, Leavey School of Business, co-author of The Leadership Challenge and Encouraging the Heart) "Block has distilled years of experience into a wise, down-to-earth, and eminently practical guide to excellence in consulting. If you are new to the practice, Flawless Consulting will chop years off your learning cycle. And even if you're an old pro, Block's insights will elevate you to new levels of effectiveness. Flawless Consulting is not simply about becoming a better consultant; it is about using consulting as a path toward becoming a better person." (Barry Oshry, president, Power & Systems, Inc., author of Seeing Systems and Leading Systems) "For external and internal consultants alike, Peter Block provides the roadmap to travel what always seems like unchartered terrain. The power behind Peter's work lies not only in the compass he provides but in helping us see how truly a forceful and powerfulinfluence one person can be." (Jack Lerner, vice-president of organization development & learning, The CIT Group)

This item was reviewed in:

Reference & Research Book News, August 2000

Summaries

Main Description

The second edition of the "consultant's bible" is here! For over fifteen years, consultants--both internal and external--have relied on Peter Block's landmark bestseller, Flawless Consulting, to learn how to deal effectively with clients, peers, and others. Using illustrative examples, case studies, and exercises, the author, one of the most important and well known in his field, offers his legendary warmth and insight throughout this much-awaited second edition. Anyone who must communicate in a professional context--and who doesn't?--will use the lessons taught in this book for years to come! "Who would have thought the 'consultant's bible' could be improved upon? Count on Peter Block--the consulting profession's very own revolutionary--to push us to confront and struggle with the paradoxes inherent in our work." --Candace Thompson, organization development consultant, First Chicago NBD--A Bank One Company "Block has distilled years of experience into a wise, down-to-earth, and eminently practical guide to excellence in consulting. If you are new to the practice, Flawless Consulting will chop years off your learning cycle. And even if you're an old pro, Block's insights will elevate you to new levels of effectiveness. Flawless Consulting is not simply about becoming a better consultant; it is about using consulting as a path toward becoming a better person." --Barry Oshry, president, Power & Systems, Inc.; author of Seeing Systems and Leading Systems

Main Description

For over fifteen years, consultants, both internal and external, have relied on Peter Block's landmark bestseller, Flawless Consulting, to learn how to deal effectively with clients, peers, and others. Flawless Consulting is a tactical plan of action for consultants whose impact has ever been stymied by a lack of authority or overruled by people who think they know best. This best selling title is written by a management and consulting professional with experienced in helping others work better together. Using illustrative examples, case studies, and exercises, Block, one of the most important and well known consultants, offers his legendary warmth and insight throughout this much-awaited second edition. Anyone who must communicate in a professional context -- and who doesn't? -- will use the lessons taught in this book for years to come! Revised and updated for the challenges of the new millenium.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition	p. xv
Preface to the First Edition	p. xxi
Acknowledgments	p. xxv
A Consultant by Any Other Name ...	p. 1
Some Definitions and Distinctions	p. 2
Consulting Skills Preview	p. 6
The Promise of Flawless Consultation	p. 8
Techniques Are Not Enough	p. 13
Beyond Substance	p. 14
The Consultant's Assumptions	p. 16
The Consultant's Goals	p. 18
Developing Client Commitment--A Secondary Goal of Each Consulting Act	p. 20
Roles Consultants Choose	p. 21
Collaboration and the Fear of Holding Hands	p. 27
Staging the Client's Involvement--Step by Step	p. 29
Assessing the Balance of Responsibility	p. 36
Flawless Consulting	p. 37
Being Authentic	p. 37
Completing the Requirements of Each Phase	p. 41
Results	p. 47
Contracting Overview	p. 53
Contracting--The Concept and the Skill	p. 54
Contracting Skills	p. 58
Elements of a Contract	p. 59
Analyzing One of Your Contracts	p. 67
Ground Rules for Contracting	p. 67
The Contracting Meeting	p. 69
Who Is the Client?	p. 70
Navigating the Contracting Meeting	p. 71
The Problem with Saying No	p. 95
Planning a Contracting Meeting	p. 98
Selling Your Services--Good Selling Is Good Contracting	p. 99
The Meeting As a Model of How You Work	p. 102
Closing the Contracting Meeting	p. 104
After the Contracting Meeting	p. 104
Reviewing the Contracting Meeting	p. 105
The Agonies of Contracting	p. 107
Dealing with Low Motivation	p. 107
Ceaseless Negotiation--The Shifting Tide of Your Role	p. 110
Some Other Specific Agonies	p. 114
The Bonner Case	p. 116
A Look into the Bonner Case	p. 125
The Internal Consultant	p. 129
Important Differences Between Internal and External Consultants	p. 130
Triangles and Rectangles	p. 133
Understanding Resistance	p. 139
The Faces of Resistance	p. 140
What Are Clients Resisting When They Are Resisting Us?	p. 148
Underlying Concerns	p. 151
Sometimes It Is Not Resistance	p. 153
The Fear and the Wish	p. 154
Ogres and Angels	p. 157
... and Heroics	p. 158
Dealing with Resistance	p. 161
Three Steps	p. 163
Don't Take It Personally	p. 168
Good Faith Responses	p. 169
Consulting with a Stone	p. 170
From Diagnosis to Discovery	p. 173
The Call to Action	p. 175
Juggling the Presenting Problem	p. 179
How the Problem Is Being Managed	p. 182
A Reminder	p. 186
Getting the Data	p. 189
The Steps in Getting Data	p. 189
Assessing How the Problem Is Being Managed	p. 194
The Data Collection Interview	p. 197
A Final Comment on What to Look For	p. 201
Planning a Data Collection Meeting	p. 204
Reviewing the Data Collection Meeting	p. 207
Whole-System Discovery	p. 207
Third-Party Consulting	p. 208
Taking a Whole-System Approach	p. 210
Putting Whole-System Discovery to Work	p. 212
The Payoff	p. 214
Preparing for Feedback	p. 217
A Clear Picture May Be Enough	p. 217
Some Do's and Don'ts	p. 218
Language in Giving Feedback	p. 221
A Preview of the Feedback Meeting ... As Courtroom Drama	p. 223
Support and Confrontation	p. 225
Managing the Feedback Meeting	p. 227
Feedback Concepts and Skills	p. 227
How to Present Data	p. 228
Structuring the Meeting	p. 230
The Feedback Meeting--Step by Step	p. 230
Resistance in the Feedback Meeting	p. 240
Planning a Feedback Meeting	p. 242
Conducting a Group Feedback Meeting	p. 243
Reviewing the Feedback Meeting	p. 244
Feedback Skills Summary	p. 245
Implementation	p. 247
Choosing Engagement over Installation	p. 248
Deciding Doesn't Get It Done	p. 249
The Case Against Installation	p. 250
Betting on Engagement	p. 259
A Reminder	p. 259
Strategies for Engagement	p. 263
Feelings Are Facts	p. 263
Supporting the Emotional Side	p. 264
The Meeting Is the Message	p. 265
Innovative Engagement in Five Easy Pieces	p. 265
The Choice for Accountability	p. 279
Some Tools for Engagement	p. 281
Methods You Can Really Use	p. 282
Preparing for Implementation	p. 302
Mixing Metaphor and Methodology	p. 303
Reviewing an Implementation Effort	p. 304
Ethics and the Shadow Side of Consulting	p. 307
The Promise	p. 309
The Commercialization of Service	p. 309
Growth Diminishes Can Undermine Service	p. 311
Seller Beware	p. 322
Owning the Shadow--Thoughts on What to Do	p. 323
The Heart of the Matter	p. 327
Choosing Learning over Teaching	p. 328
The Struggle Is the Solution	p. 330
Insight Resides in Moments of Tension	p. 335
Capacities Bear More Fruit Than Deficiencies	p. 337
We Are Responsible for One Another's Learning	p. 338
Culture Changes in the Moment	p. 339
If Change Is So Wonderful, Why Don't You Go First?	p. 341
The Final Question Is One of Faith	p. 342
Another Checklist You Can Use	p. 343
To Get an Overview	p. 344
Before You Negotiate Your Next Contract, Remember ...	p. 346
Before You Go into the Data Collection and Discovery Phase of Your Next Project, Remember ...	p. 352
Before You Go into the Feedback Phase of Your Next Project, Remember ...	p. 357
When You Encounter Resistance, Remember ...	p. 360
Before You Go into the Implementation Phase of Your Next Project, Remember ...	p. 362
To Create an Ethical Practice, Remember ...	p. 366
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 368
About the Author	p. 371
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

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