1.6. CREATING SHARED SUCCESS
Many consultants take the position (out of arrogance or ignorance) of "Let me show you how I'm going to improve things around here." The success is the consultant's, a sort of largesse provided for the lucky client. There is a certain power in being "the expert" without whom all goes to hell, but there is a huge risk, although not the one that might be apparent.
The apparent risk is that the client might not benefit as desired or, heaven forbid, might actually suffer a reversal of fortune. Remember the physician's sage credo, "First, do no harm." It's no accident that large consulting firms are being sued right and left in this litigious society. They have not "delivered" the desired results.
However, the greater risk is that even with demonstrable success, the buyer feels alienated, disenfranchised, and apart from it. The fee in this case, despite success, will be paid grudgingly. For one thing, the client is now fearful of long-term dependence and doesn't want to incur huge costs each time the consultant's "expertise" is required to solve another problem. For another, the buyer does not feel the intrinsic ownership and sense of well-being that would emotionally overwhelm any reservations about costs. Third, from an ego perspective, the buyer will feel the need to insert some leverage into the relationship to retain the perceived upper hand and emphasize that the consultant serves at the buyer's pleasure (especially if the results are so visible that ...