Why “the how” matters …
Have you ever hugged your consultant? Like, really meaningfully hugged them, as a way to say thank you and goodbye upon conclusion of a project?
Admittedly, it sounds like an odd question to ask. Consultants are hired to deliver work within their specialized expertise and/or to meet internal capacity challenges. They have core responsibilities, like all professionals. They come in, they meet deliverables, they exit …. why on earth would one hug them?
And yet there we were: at the end of our work with a small municipality, some of the internal team members with whom we worked spontaneously requested hugs before we left. It was, quite simply, a wonderful moment and a defining hallmark of my as-of-yet very short consulting career. That brief act resonated, touching both my heart and my head, and it made me realize the dual importance of the “why” and the “how”.
The why - as I’ve shared in a previous blog entry - is clear. We fundamentally believe that all organizations can thrive, and we love helping them get to that state. We have a core philosophy defining the components required for organizations (and most importantly that people that make up these organizations) to flourish. For us, the why - our purpose - is lucid, and while it may adapt and transition with time, this philosophy underpins our business.
In the delivery of this work, however, we always have a choice. We can be rigid, formulaic, even distant, especially if we’re exceeding client needs. The client is happy, so carry on … Or we can choose warmth, empathy, kindness, and joy. We can choose belly laughs over templates, appreciative inquiry over tired processes, delight over dogma, all the while still providing sound advice and meeting required deliverables exceptionally well. The “how” matters. The “how” is a choice, and, as I realized that day, it needn’t come at the sacrifice of meeting core business objectives.
There is always a choice. Pick one, and warm hugs may result.
