“Wow! A companion a business owner can’t be without! The insights of 30 con-sultants the caliber of Peter Block is priceless.”

—SUE MOSBY, principal, CDFM2 Architecture Inc.

“This book is a companion piece for both the desktop and bedside of those who doconsulting full time or in their role as leader. The words from the Shakespearean son-net ‘who can be wise, amazed, temperate in a moment, no man,’ combined withthe image of Davy Crockett going to Congress for the first time describing himselfas half of nine things, is what it often feels like to be a consultant. I plan to keep thisbook close to me to both guide and inspire my work.”

—PHIL HARKINS, president, Linkage, Inc.

“No matter how proficient, companies who fail to understand and apply Block’s con-cepts risk operating at the vendor level with their clients rather than at the partnerlevel—a potentially mortal risk in an increasingly strategic marketplace.”

—FRED LAMPARTER, director of worldwide training, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide

“With delight we receive the ‘Fieldbook and Companion’. . . . As we encourageour Information Technology professionals to pursue continuous learning, this ‘Field-book’ will be added to their skill-building toolkit. Our IT professionals are groomedto develop core consulting skills which enable our organization to approach theworkplace as an arena for relationship building. We’ve used Block’s Flawless Con-sulting guidelines to define the basic consulting skills program.”

—CASSANDRA A. MATTHEWS, vice president, Information Technology and CIO, PECO Energy Company

“This is content as rich as tiramisu. I find that I can digest only a small portion at atime; yet I’m always back for more. An indispensable resource for the consultantseeking ideas and inspiration.”

—KATHRYN HEATH, director of First University, First Union Corporation

“When it comes to prioritizing my reading, Peter Block is second only to the sportssection. In this book, Peter provides different points of view and stories that plungedeeply into the human and organizational experience.”

—PAUL ANDERSON, convener, Northern California School for Managing and Leading Change

“Peter’s work always challenges me to think about things in new ways and pushesme to take risks I might not have had the courage for otherwise. This long-awaitedcompanion to Flawless Consulting is no exception.”

—JENNIFER POWELL, human resources manager, Aetna USHealthcare

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“Peter Block and his friends have produced an indispensable companion to Flaw-less Consulting. Providing help to others is no easy task, but these philosophical,therapeutic, and artistic essays bring to life the spirit and hope of change practi-tioners everywhere. Ultimately, they deliver practical insights to the consulting craft.”

—CHRISTOPHER G. WORLEY, director, MSOD Program, Pepperdine University

“If you’re new to consulting, or if you need reinforcement that relationships are theheart of successful consulting, read this book. More experienced professionals will findsome real gems along the way like Peter’s Twelve Questions. And where else will youfind Sufi wisdom, William Shakespeare, and Marvin Weisbord all under one roof?”

—RICK MAURER, author, Beyond the Wall of Resistanceand Building Capacity for Change Sourcebook

“In Peter’s characteristically accessible style, this complement to the recently revisedFlawless Consulting skillfully challenges consultants to learn what moves us towardmore accountability and to discover what releases the commitment and passioninherent to the experience of being human.

“By assembling the contributions of multiple colleagues, Peter reinforces hisclaim that only through the act of choosing our freedom can we effectively support our-selves and help our clients. This is one of the significant ways the book successfullyachieves its stated goal of placing consulting practice within a universal human context.”

—GORDON C. BROOKS, MSOD program administrator, The Graziadio School of Business and Management, Pepperdine University

“This book is a must read for anyone consulting or considering consulting. Peter hasonce again broken new ground with The Flawless Consulting Fieldbook and Com-panion. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the book is that Peter and the con-tributing consultants all have such a passion and love for their work that surfacestime and again in their writing. They’ve done an incredible job of sharing that pas-sion and love with the rest of us and rekindling the flames that drive us to serve inthe consultant’s capacity. It’s refreshing to hear their passion and honesty in a worldtoo often driven by greed and political correctness.”

—STEVE GIBBONS, past president, The Association for Quality and Participation

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THE

FLAWLESSCONSULTINGFIELDBOOK & COMPANION

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Also by Peter Block

Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used

The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work

Stewardship: Choosing Service over Self-Interest

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THE

FLAWLESSCONSULTINGFIELDBOOK & COMPANIONA GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING YOUR EXPERTISE

PETER BLOCKAND 30 FLAWLESS CONSULTANTS

ASSISTED BY ANDREA M. MARKOWITZ

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Copyright © 2001 by Pfeiffer and Peter Block

Published by PfeifferA Wiley Imprint989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741 www.pfeiffer.com

ISBN: 0-7879-4804-7

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 UnitedStates Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of theappropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978)646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the PermissionsDepartment, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, e-mail:permcoordinator@wiley.com.

Pfeiffer books and products are available through most bookstores. To contact Pfeiffer directly call our Customer Care Departmentwithin the U.S. at (800) 956-7739, outside the U.S. at (317) 572-3986 or fax (317) 572-4002.

Pfeiffer also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available inelectronic books.

Acquiring Editor: Matthew Holt Manufacturing Supervisor: Becky CarreñoDirector of Development: Kathleen Dolan Davies Interior Design: Marie CarijaDevelopmental Editor: Leslie Stephen Illustrations: Richard SheppardEditor: Rebecca Taff Cover Design: Red Letter DesignSenior Production Editor: Dawn Kilgore

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Block, Peter.The flawless consulting fieldbook and companion : a guide to understanding your

expertise / Peter Block and 30 flawless consultants : assisted by Andrea M. Markowitz.p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 0-7879-4804-7 (acid-free)1. Business consultants. 2. Consultants. I. Title.

HD69.C6 B573 2001001—dc21 00-010408

Printed in the United States of America

Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

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To Jennifer and Heather

Blessings beyond measure

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vi

Contributors

Dick and Emily Axelrod

Rosemarie Barbeau

Clifford F. Bolster

Neale W. Clapp

Lou Ann Daly

Kathleen D. Dannemiller

W. Patrick Dolan

Phil Grosnick

Joel P. Henning

Sylvia L. James

Jill E. Janov

Henry Johnson

Amy J. Katz

Peter Koestenbaum

Samuel P. Magill

Andrea M. Markowitz

Marie T. McCormick

Elizabeth McGrath

Kenneth F. Murphy

John O’Connell

Charlotte Roberts

Nancy Sanchez

John P. Schuster

David and Carole Schwinn

Paul D. Tolchinsky

Nancy Voss

Marvin R. Weisbord

Margaret J. Wheatley

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vii

Contents

List of Figures and Exhibits vi

Welcome xi

Quick Guide to Contents xxi

1 No Fast and Easy Way 11 Flawless | M. J. Wheatley 5

2 A Sensible Oxymoron | Andrea Markowitz 7

3 Risk Is Where You Find It | Peter Block 13

4 The Journey | Idries Shah 21

5 Consultant, Flawed: A Story of Eternal Internal Triangles | Ken Murphy 23

6 The Power of Conversations at Work | Joel Henning 43

2 The Complexity of Advice 657 What Should I Do? | Peter Block 69

8 Four Communities | Idries Shah 75

9 Changing Focus: Consulting in the New Economy | Patrick Dolan 77

10 Be Careful Who You Ask: Perils of Wisdom | Andrea Markowitz 81

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11 Dealing with Resistance: Having the Right Conversation in Difficult Situations | Phil Grosnick 89

12 The Case of Pricilla and the Red Pen | Andrea Markowitz 97

3 The Power of the Question 11713 Making the System Fully Known to Itself:

Discovery As a Collaborative Process | Jill Janov 125

14 Two Sides | Idries Shah 135

15 Resolving a New Paradox with Old Wisdom | Marvin Weisbord 137

16 Change Is in the Details | Peter Block 149

17 Talk Is Walk: Language and Courage in Action | Peter Koestenbaum 153

18 So, What’s Working Here? | A Conversation with Elizabeth McGrath 167

4 Emotions and the Personal 17519 Balancing Competence with Consciousness:

One Woman’s Wisdom | Rosemarie Barbeau 179

20 Nobody’s Fool: Unconventional Guides for the Emotional Path | Andrea Markowitz 187

21 In the Land of Fools | Idries Shah 199

22 Up Front and Personal | A Conversation with Charlotte Roberts 201

23 Women’s Leadership Collaborative: Investing in Our Humanity | Nancy Voss 209

24 Sneaking the Spirit In | A Conversation with John Schuster 229

5 Valuing Capacities 23725 Leading from Behind: Talking with Sled Dogs | Sam Magill 241

26 Homeopathic Consulting: Learning Is Free, Teaching Is Not | Cliff Bolster 249

27 Milk and Buttermilk | Idries Shah 265

viii

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28 Consulting As Capability Building | Lou Ann Daly 267

29 Getting Real | John O’Connell 273

6 Integrating Strategy and Experience 28730 The Engagement Paradigm: Changing the Way

We Change Organizations | Dick and Emily Axelrod 291

31 Caring about Place | Peter Block 307

32 Unleashing the Spirit | Kathie Dannemiller, Sylvia James, and Paul Tolchinsky 315

33 Nancy’s Checklist | Nancy Sanchez 329

34 Anonymous Data Collection? Definitely Yes and No | Neale Clapp 331

35 Toward a More Participative, Productive Workplace | Marie McCormick 339

36 Co-Creating a Community’s Future: Once upon a Time in a Place Called Home | David and Carole Schwinn 355

37 How Am I Doing? How Am I Doing? You Like Me! You Really Like Me! | Peter Block 365

7 No Masks No Bargains 37538 My Worst Consulting Nightmare | Amy J. Katz 383

39 Three Nightmares | A Conversation with Henry Johnson 389

40 Twelve Questions to the Most Frequently Asked Answers | Peter Block 393

Postscript 405

Thanks to Contributors 407

About the Author 427

Index 429

Flawless Consulting Workshops 441

ix

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x

Figures and Exhibits

Chapter 15: Resolving a New Paradox with Old WisdomFigure 15.1 Ongoing Conditions for Treating, Teaching, and Learning 143

Chapter 17: Talk Is WalkFigure 17.1 The Journey Diagram 160

Chapter 29: Getting RealFigure 29.1 The Drexler-Sibbet Team Performance Model 280

Chapter 32: Unleashing the SpiritExhibit 32.1 Break on Through: A Leadership Conference 322

Chapter 35: Toward a More Participative, Productive WorkplaceExhibit 35.1 The McCormick Employee Engagement Inventory 349

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I n this time of free agency, outsourcing, and cross-functional work teams, consultinghas become a part of everyone’s job. Plus, we live in an era in which we are forced tohire professionals to provide the help that we used to seek from friends. It is true in

our personal lives, where we have moved away from our extended families and now go toa doctor, lawyer, and financial advisor instead of a grandmother, cousin, or uncle. In ourwork lives, changes seem to be vibrating at such an increasing pace that we always feelthe need for specialized expertise. Some of this need for instant expertise is for reassur-ance; some is just that we do not think we have time to learn it ourselves.

So, despite all the ambivalence surrounding consulting, it has grown into big busi-ness and generally infiltrated our lives. The situation is much like Andy Warhol’s quipabout fame: It seems that we have gotten to the point where every person will now enjoyfifteen minutes of being a consultant at some time.

A FR IEND INDEED

This book is meant as a companion for people who are doing consulting—that is, anyoneattempting to help others effect a change in their lives or work. It is also meant for thosewho use consultants, for the more we know about the theory and practice of consulting,the better the chance that we will get what we bargained for. A companion can be a part-ner on a project or someone employed to be of service. The best ones are friends too. Thebook is intended to be both kinds of companion to you—and also to be a friend to turnto when there is time for reflection.

xi

Welcome

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