Mouprise.com

What’s your deal?

A veteran consultant who also toured Vietnam once gave me some sage advice during a morning java that I often pondered both when I implemented it correctly and when I painfully neglected it: “Once your boots hit the ground, the first order of the day is to find out; In Vietnam, not understanding the real issue in terms of his situation was extremely dangerous to his health and the health of those around him, he explained. “Textbooks, training and boot camps are one thing, but you have to acclimate and learn fast once your boots hit the ground in a combat zone and everyone is different.”

This seasoned consultant went on to explain how he survived and was successful on his Vietnam tours was, at least in part, because he quickly learned what the deal was. Similarly, he had survived the complex, often confusing and fast-paced world of consulting for more than 25 years using many of the same skills. He defined “the deal” to mean what the actual situation, tactics, players and goals really are and that there is usually a delta between the actual deal and the stated deal. Our job is to figure out how big the delta is, manage it, and stay on the right course the right way.

So you got a new consulting assignment or maybe a new job with a new company or even a new role within your current company but in a different organization. How do you find out “what’s your problem”? You need to figure out what it is, where and how to add value, who the players are and how to do it, fast!

1) Open your eyes: The first few days on the job or assignment are key to observing how people behave. What do they say or not say? How do they say it? Are they direct or indirect? How do they dress? When do they report to work and when do they leave? Do they work during lunch or go out? Observe, take note and adjust accordingly.

2) Open your ears: Listening is different from hearing. Practice listening to what people say and what they really mean. What’s between the lines? What does body language say? Ask thoughtful questions, and then listen carefully. Document what you learn and make corrections in the course.

3) Open your mind: Just because this new group does things differently than our own experiences, don’t immediately judge, belittle or criticize. Take the time to learn why they do it that way and the pros and cons before offering advice or feedback. The San Antonio Spurs do things differently than the Dallas Mavericks or the Miami Heat, even though all three are great organizations, have great players and coaches, and all have won recent championships.

4) Open your door: Do not isolate yourself. Keep an open door mentality and literally take the initiative to respectfully walk through other people’s doors. You can’t learn the deal or succeed if you stay in a tower, isolated from others. Learning the deal will come as much, if not more, from informal dialogue and conversations over coffee and lunches than it does from organization charts and documents. Keep an open door to go along with an open mind.

Once your boots hit the ground, the first order of business is to find out; What’s your deal? That is a key not only to initial survival, but also to adding immediate and long-term value to our respective organizations.