Client Engagement Best Practices Toolkit Toolkit revised 8-27.pdfProspecting/Leads 1. “In the...

Client Engagement Best Practices Toolkit August 2012

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Client Engagement Best Practices Toolkit

Prepared for Table Group Principal Consultants and Consulting Partners

By Rick Packer and Al Amador

September 2012


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Introduction: This document is a collection of the business development and client engagement

best practices that have been created over the past two years by The Table Group

Consulting Partners during our conferences and the bi-weekly call. Other sources

include key documents and concepts created by The Table Group as well as

recommended outside resources.

We have used a Client Engagement Lifecycle as a base-line for these best

practices and will add to this document throughout the year. For easier “cut,

paste and adapt purposes” we will forward an electronic version to each PC and

CP.

Finally, it is important to note that each of us needs to find one’s own “voice” in

terms of these best practices and recommended communications. Our objective

is to the provide examples which you can then adapt as you see fit with any

particular client engagement.


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Table of Contents

Our Consulting Approach 4

Engagement Lifecycle Illustration 5

Prospecting/Leads – TGCP Ideas 6

Initial Lead Sources, Sample Product Follow-up Call 7

Product Follow-up Email, End of Year Gift Letter 8

Initial Conversations – TGCP Ideas 9

o Team Assessment Questions 10

o FAQ’s on Initial Calls 12

Overcoming Obstacles – TGCP Ideas 14

Email to Respond to “I Need An Overview Email to Forward For Approval” 15

Email to Respond to “Client Rejection” 17

Contracts and Proposals – TGCP Ideas 18

Sample One Page 19

Pre-Work and Delivery – TGCP Ideas 20

Pre-session email 21

Post-Session – TGCP Ideas 23

Letters to Send After the Offsite 24

Next Steps/Recommendations – TGCP Ideas 27

Additional Value Add Ideas/Activities 29

Referrals – TGCP Ideas 33

Recommended Reading on Successful Consulting Practices 35


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Our Approach - According to the model, Table Group Consultants:

Are willing to ask tough questions and explore difficult situations in order to effectively serve a

client. Our consultants are concerned with building trust and loyalty with clients and do not

withhold information in Fear of Losing the Business.

Actively propose ideas and insights in order to prompt new thinking—even if they turn out to be

incorrect. By overcoming the Fear of Being Embarrassed, our consultants never hold back ideas

that could ultimately assist in client development.

Do not fall prey to The Fear of Feeling Inferior. Consultants humbly invest themselves in helping

their clients and are willing to do whatever they need them to do to improve—even if that calls

for the consultant to be overlooked.

Beyond the Approach

Our sessions address teamwork and organizational health concerns within the context,

challenges and issues that an organization is currently facing. Rather than using theoretical case

studies, we discuss real organizational challenges in the course of building a team. In the end,

everything we do is focused on building a lasting competitive advantage for our clients.

Clients can expect our Consulting and Training engagements to be:

Practical – Our services are designed to produce tangible benefits. Nothing we do is

overly theoretical or academic.

Relevant – Every service we offer is customized and grounded in the strategic and

tactical realities of our clients' businesses.

Fast – Because our clients are busy, we work quickly and keep executives engaged and

focused on key issues.

Prospective clients can be assured that all of our consultants were selected and trained based

on their ability to adhere to these high standards.


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Client Engagement Lifecycle

The illustration above represents the different phases within a typical client engagement. It’s important to note this doesn’t always happen in chronological order and sometimes phases are blended together (ex. a proposal and contract within the same email/meeting). However, by thinking about each phase as a separate event, you will not miss an opportunity to serve the client and grow your practice.

Prospecting/Leads

Initial Conversations

Overcoming Obstacles

Proposals

Contracts Pre-work &

Delivery

Post Session

Next Steps &

Recommendations

Referrals

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2

3

4

5 6

7

8

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Prospecting/Leads

1. “In the Area” Letting a prospective client know that you will be in the area and available for a

brown bag or brief complimentary session

2. Leveraging your Constant Contact tool, target emails

3. Offering a complimentary Team Assessment OR a complimentary Comparison Report for clients

that have not engaged for some time.

4. Give Away a “Free Day of Consulting” to a high profile auction, preferably an auction that has

regional publicity

5. Try contacting the CEO directly, initiate a conversation around pain points and follow-up with a

book, articles, constant contact registration, complimentary assessment

6. Collect articles through “Pulse”- a content aggregator, distribute those article to clients based on

past need/conversation

7. Offer a complimentary Brown Bag for team or organization

a. Most effective – Presentation within a prospect company, ask to have decision makers

present and leave a tool/overview behind with your contact information

8. Conduct a free session for local government

9. Try business outreach through a non-profit, after a complimentary session or assessment seek a

formal introduction to the Board of Directors

10. Work Newsletter bounce backs, utilize LinkedIn for a reverse search, chances are this person has

moved on to a new organization

11. Review past Team Assessments, be sure these people are in your Constant Contact distribution,

reach out to them

- 80% Meeting/Sharing Face to Face - 20% Everything Else - 80% Existing Clients, 20% New - Try Brown Bags (ASTD, Target Professional Associations

Chambers, SHRM, Church, ETC.) - Use Complimentary Team Assessments


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Prospecting/Leads

Initial Lead Sources

1. Local Business Park Directories - www.hacienda.org

2. Metropolitan Chambers of Commerce – www.sfchamber.com

3. Regional Business Councils – www.contracostacouncil.com

4. Business Journals (Regional) – www.bizjournals.com

5. Trade Associations

6. Professional Associations – (Google: Professional Associations + Zip Code)

7. City/Regional Economic Development Directors

8. Alumni Associations

9. Church Community Contacts

10. LinkedIn Regional Search (ex. CIOs in San Francisco)

11. LinkedIn Groups

12. Past Vendors

13. Former Colleagues

14. Business Incubator Centers

15. MBA Programs (Being a Panel Member)

Product Purchase Follow-up

Product purchaser voice mail:

My name is David Ross, and I am a local consulting partner with Pat Lencioni and the Table Group. I

sent you an email and left a voice mail a couple of weeks ago re: the (product) that you purchased

(date). I am following up to make sure that (the product) accomplished what you had hoped, that its

helping your team perform better, and that you are happy with it. I was hoping to find out how

you are using the (product) and what your experience has been. If it’s appropriate I can make some

suggestions on how to follow up with the tools so that it helps reshape your leadership culture over

time.

I also wanted to make sure you received the information I sent re: our Team Assessment Comparison

Report that assesses progress on teamwork in order to help you focus follow up efforts. I will send a

final follow-up email to this call to make it easy for you to contact me if you wish. Or you can call me

at 805 217-6716.

Thanks for using our services and have a great day.

http://www.hacienda.org/

http://www.sfchamber.com/

http://www.contracostacouncil.com/

http://www.bizjournals.com/


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Prospecting/Leads continued

(E-mail – almost identical)

My name is David Ross, and I am a local consulting partner with Pat Lencioni and the Table Group. I

am contacting you about the (product) that you purchased (date).

I work full time with executive teams to put Pat’s methodologies into practice. Working with

executive teams of churches is my primary area of emphasis. One of my roles is to help ensure that

our tools are helping teams perform better and that our clients are happy with them. I would like to

find out whether the (tools) have made a difference for your teams and, if appropriate, to make

some suggestions on how to use them over time so that they make a difference in the leadership

culture at Christ’s Church of the Valley.

I also wanted to let you know that we offer a Team Assessment Comparison Report at no charge that

will help your teams identify where they are making progress and where they may be stuck. I have

attached a sample report so that you can see if it might be of help to you.

Feel free to call me at 805 217-6716 if you have any questions.

End of Year Book Gift Letter

Dear____________________,

Most of you are familiar with Pat Lencioni’s books and materials, which is why you are receiving this

letter. I am proud to be a part of his consulting team here in Southern California. One of my

passions is to assist you, and your team, put Pat’s methodologies into practice. I want to ensure that

our books and tools are helping teams perform better!

Enclosed is a copy of Pat’s latest book, as a gift to you, in the spirit of making a positive difference

this year, and equipping you to have the healthiest and most productive team you have led in years.

If you have any questions, or if I can be of assistance in any way, don’t hesitate to call me.

Happy New Year!

David Ross


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1. Start consulting with the initial conversation, you are now engaged with them, this is our model

of Naked Consulting

2. Try to get them to be a part of the design process

3. Explore an initial “free session” with request to cover travel (note: not in cases where budgets

will not allow for our services, for truly interested organizations that need more to evaluate the

service

4. Implement some form of qualification in terms of budget, decision making level. This is key and

will save you time in the long run

5. Initial Conversation Topics/Lead Questions

a. What are you trying to accomplish with an off-site?

b. Who is your team?

c. If you had a magic wand, what would you change?

d. What has been your past experience with leadership training?

e. Tell me about your meetings?

f. What is your greatest pain point in the organization/team?

g. Is there a current gap in your next off-site agenda?

h. (Values Discussion) Tell me about someone who embodies …

6. Inquire about their answers to the clarity questions

a. Why do we exist?

b. How do we behave?

c. What do we do?

d. How will we succeed?

e. What is most important, right now?

f. Who must do what?

7. Review Team Assessment Question (attached next page)

8. Treat everyone the same, at all levels of the organization

- Pain Points – Find them, Consult in real time - Positioning - Share Pricing Early & Seek Long-Term Approach


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Team Assessment Questions

Inquire about these areas in terms of a question (ex. In your opinion, do team members admit their

mistakes?)

Team members admit their mistakes.

Team members are passionate and unguarded in their discussion of issues.

Team members are quick to point out the contributions and achievements of others.

Team meetings are interesting and compelling (not boring).

During team meetings, the most important—and difficult—issues are discussed.

Team members acknowledge their weaknesses to one another.

Team members voice their opinions even at the risk of causing disagreement.

Team members point out one another’s unproductive behaviors.

The team has a reputation for high performance.

Team members ask for help without hesitation.

Team members leave meetings confident that everyone is committed to the decisions that were agreed upon.

During discussions, team members challenge one another about how they arrived at their conclusions and opinions.

Team members ask one another for input regarding their areas of responsibility.

When the team fails to achieve collective goals, each member takes personal responsibility to improve the team’s performance.

Team members willingly make sacrifices in their areas for the good of the team.

Team members are quick to confront peers about problems in their respective areas of responsibility.

Team members acknowledge and tap into one another’s skills and expertise.

Team members solicit one another’s opinions during meetings.

Team members end discussions with clear and specific resolutions and calls to action.

Team members question one another about their current approaches and methods.

The team ensures that poor performers feel pressure and the expectation to improve.

Team members willingly apologize to one another.

Team members communicate unpopular opinions to the group.

The team is clear about its direction and priorities.

Team members are slow to seek credit for their own contributions.

All members of the team are held to the same high standards.


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Team Assessment Questions (cont.)

When conflict occurs, the team confronts and deals with the issue before moving to another subject.

The team is aligned around common objectives.

The team consistently achieves its objectives.

The team is decisive, even when perfect information is not available.

Team members value collective success more than individual achievement.

Team members are unguarded and genuine with one another.

Team members can comfortably discuss their personal lives with one another

The team sticks to decisions.

Team members consistently follow through on promises and commitments.

Team members offer unprovoked, constructive feedback to one another.

Team members place little importance on titles and status.

Team members support group decisions even if they initially disagreed.


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Initial Conversations continued

Some FAQ’s on Initial Calls

1. How do I get to the right level within the organization if the person who placed the order is not a

decision maker?

a. Remember to think Long-Term and Short-Term. Having a meaningful conversation with that

person can lead to something down the line. Regardless of level, make sure that that person

remembers you as the “Resource” “Expert” on Teams and Organizational Health when you

hang-up. Also, include this person as a touch point in the future.

b. If appropriate, depending on the conversation flow, ask (in a kind way) if there is someone else

you should speak with……ex. Is there someone else in the organization I should speak with?

c. If you know of the next level or if this comes up as the person who ran with the materials

ordered … ask permission to reach out to that individual. If the person you are speaking with is

passionate about the material suggest that he/she set a meeting with that leader and phone you

in for a call in his/her office.

d. Often a name will come up….”this is what Susan was working on” Ask permission to reach out to

Susan directly referencing your contact person.

e. Be sure to forward links to this person and recommend that he/she forward. Resources include;

our site, PDF’s on our site, the Facebook fan page and more.

f. Sending a book to the implementer with some sort of identification (note: reference made to a

customized bookmark) can lead to an additional conversation.

g. Other Ideas: Enter your contact person’s name into LinkedIn and Google for more background,

ask about leadership structure, ask probing questions around the themes addressed within the

purchased materials.


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Some FAQ’s on Initial Calls continued

2. What can you say to the Internal Resource delivering purchased materials vs. the Consultant and

Consultant fee?

a. Remember that this is not an “either – or” proposition. Many PC’s insist on working with the

internal training team as partners. With Met Life, for example, a pre-meeting with the internal

team that supports a particular group is held prior to each session.

b. Because of the depth of our process our experience would tell us that you would be more

comfortable with an outside resource, more open with greater participation with us facilitating.

c. Often within an organization the Trainer/Internal Resource can only train at his/her level and

below. In the case of Trainers who may have held leadership positions, their level and

below. As outsiders we can work directly with the CEO.

d. Finally, this is all we do (Other consultants have a host of products and services…internal

resources are responsible for other things) We work with Sr. Leadership on a regular basis. This

is all we do.

3. What should be the message of this call?

a. That we are the resource for Teams and Organizational Health

b. Ask probing questions on the application of materials purchased

c. Offer additional resources (free on our site – articles, other)

d. See additional contact information and permission to use contact’s name to forward additional

resources

e. Forward Facebook, website, pdf’s for distribution

f. Reinforce that there are only ___ of us certified to this and this is all we do

g. Add this individual and any other from this company to your distribution list for period “touch

points”


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1. Be confident in explaining the “end state” with them…..let the sponsor know how clients feel at

the end of our session. Position this person as the one who will bring this transformative

session into the organization. Overall, be confident in the outcome, express the outcome in

detail (visualize the results with the client)

2. Assure the client that if we are not a fit, we will help them find an alternative

3. When dealing with a difficult purchasing department, go to the sponsor for assistance/guidance

4. Timing with New Team Members – Consensus is… as soon as possible. Express the importance

of not waiting 6 months for the team member to on-board. In fact, the off-site will accelerate

that process. The sooner the better.

5. Explore “day of the week” and/or “local” pricing options. Note: The Principal Consultants were

fairly close on fees. Some PC’s felt local pricing was a good idea, others maintain their fee.

Another main point: Once you set a fee with a client, that is the fee for all future engagements

6. Consensus of PC’s was that government engagements are a different animal. Long-term sales

cycle, multiple teams (Check FAA w/ David Simpson)

7. Do as much research as you can on the company prior to the call (pain points, growth strategy,

anything in the news) This will help your conversation and demonstrate your level of interest

and commitment

8. Remember our “Tool Box” be sure to review all offerings/services. We need to be the experts

on what is available to all teams at all levels. Suggestion is to go over (services document and

on-line store)

9. Be sure you are talking to the economical buyer

- Pricing & Concessions (remember that initial fees stick) - Timing of Session – 30-120 Days (the sooner the better) - Understand the Need vs. Want - Be Confident with the Material – Believe in the Approach


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Response to “Need and Overview Email” to Forward for Approval

Hello Brian:

It was a pleasure meeting you at the Build Conference. I sincerely enjoyed our conversation and look

forward to meeting with you and your team next week. Per your request for additional information

I am forwarding you a more complete description of the 2 day off-site we discussed.

The two day senior team session outcomes include:

Alignment within Senior Teams

Team Effectiveness – Tools and practices to make faster, better decisions with team buy-in

Building; trust, ideological debate, commitment, peer to peer accountability and measures

Creating clarity for the organization

Sustainable systems and tools to implement throughout the organization

An Effective Meetings Model An expanded description of our approach can be viewed here:

http://www.tablegroup.com/consulting/?tab=approach

We conduct our sessions through a series of discussions, activities and application of tangible

tools. This includes the following:

A Team Assessment (on-line, completed prior to the off-site)

Utilization of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (on-line, completed prior to the offsite)

Several guided discussions and activities based our book, The Advantage, as well as other works

Introduction of an Effective Meeting Model

Creation of a cascading message that the team will share with the overall organization For more on our experience, please see our bio links:

David Ross http://www.tablegroup.com/consulting/consultants/david_ross/

Al Amador http://www.tablegroup.com/consulting/consultants/al_amador/

To provide greater context, we have attached the following for you to review and share with your

team:

Session Overview PDF

Team Assessment Example (this is the output of the on-line tool which helps us customize the session)

Continued on next page

http://www.tablegroup.com/consulting/?tab=approach

http://www.tablegroup.com/consulting/consultants/david_ross/

http://www.tablegroup.com/consulting/consultants/al_amador/


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Response to “Need and Overview Email” to Forward for Approval continued

An Article by Patrick Lencioni, Trouble with Teamwork

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Executive Summary

Silos, Politics and Turf Wars – Executive Summary I’ll be following-up with a call on ______, please look for my invitation and counter with any better

time that day. Otherwise feel free to call me directly @ 925-787-9571. We’re looking forward to

learning more about your team and company. Again, it was a pleasure meeting you as well as the

other leaders last week. -Al


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Overcoming Obstacles continued

Response email to Client Rejection

[emailed same day or with a few days of a prospect saying no]

Thanks for letting me know of your decision so promptly.

I work with a small number of clients in order to get to know their business as my own. I'd like to

continue to get to know you and give you information on a regular basis that you will find helpful in

your business. I hope by doing that, I would put myself in a position that if the situation changes,

the first person you think about would be me.

Thanks,

Rick

[emailed about four months after a prospect said no to Five Dysfunctions work]

Hope you are doing well. I just wanted to follow-up to ask how your team development is coming

along?

It’s been several months since our last commutation. If your team started the development process

about that same time here are a few things you should be noticing:

1. There is a visible difference on the team regarding trust. Issues between team members have been discussed.

2. Team members shared and acted on feedback they received from each other. Now feedback among team members is flowing without being forced.

3. Team meetings look and feel different. Healthy conflict is noticeable and encouraged by the team’s leader. The team established and is using conflict norms during meetings. Participation among all team members has increased and not only among the dominate personalities. The team leaves meetings with a clear communication plan that is cascaded down.

4. The team is spending more productive time with each other. 5. The team is focused on one collective goal and that goal is serving as a rallying cry for all team

members.

It’s also important to point out that the team at this point is not perfect, but they are certainly miles

away from the place they started just a few shorts months ago.

Feel free at any time to reach out. I’m more than happy to offer recommendations as your team

continues to make progress.

Thanks,


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Proposals/Contracts

1. Make proposals simple and send them same day as the conversation. Follow-up the very next

day to confirm receipt and to answer any questions

2. Make proposal time sensitive. Increase level of urgency with your availability, price tied to open

date, other

3. The contract is more important with larger firms. The contract will often be a starting point for

payment. PO #’s are many times tied to the contract.

4. Be sure to stay in contact with the company throughout the contracting process. You may need

to fill-in the blanks for people as the paperwork moves through the organization. Leverage your

executive sponsor and keep them in the loop as to the progress of approvals

5. For smaller companies, a letter of understanding may suffice

6. Be sure to include a cancellation clause

- Simple Contracts are Best - Via email the same day, following phone call - May Need to Include Options

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David L. Ross, Inc. c: 805-217-6716

e: [email protected]

w: www.tablegroup.com/consulting/partners

Both parties agree to the terms of this contract. Please sign and return to Karen Macias via scanned image and email, fax, or mail

__________________________________________ ___________________________________________

date Karen Macias, Business Manager date

__________________________________________ [email protected] 805-341-8810

[print name and title above]

5655 LINDERO CANYON ROAD #621 * WESTLAKE VILLAGE * CALIFORNIA 91362 http://www.tablegroupconsulting.com

fax 805.418.7257

Client Name and Address:

Primary Contacts:

Date of Event:

Event Time Table:

Statement of Work: Facilitation based on Building Healthy Organizations & 5 Dysfunctions of a Team

Attendees:

Consulting Resources: Dr. David Ross, David L Ross Inc.

Event Location:

Facilitation Fee: Materials Fee:

$_________ Facilitator: Dr. David Ross $___/person for assessments, printing, and materials as needed

Miscellaneous Fees: Travel, Meals and Accommodations, if applicable.

Material Requirements: Two flip charts and easels, color markers, and name tags.

Suggestion: 1”, 3-ring binder for materials.

Cancellation and Reschedule Policy: Please initial .

Any cancellation 90 days or more in advance of schedule event will incur no penalty or charges.

A cancellation between 30 and 90 days of the event incurs no charge if the event is rescheduled at a mutually agreeable time within 3 months from the originally scheduled date. Otherwise a 50% of the agreed fee will be charged.

A cancellation within 30 days of the event incurs a 50% charge.

A cancellation within one week of the event incurs a 100% charge.

Plus, any applicable charges associated with this event, ie. assessments, materials, travel and accommodations.

Payment due 30 days after date of event.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.tablegroupconsulting.com/


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Pre-Work & Delivery

1. Understand how much the group wants to be a team

a. Rate that with each team member prior (1to5)

2. Have the client rate the effectiveness of the session (1-5)

a. 3 or below, seek suggestions

b. 4+ have them list impacts

3. Ask during the session-What one or 2 things will you use?

4. Keep pre-work description to one page, easily forwarded to the team

5. Craft and send a customized introduction email to be sent by the sponsor, clients appreciate this

6. Explore emailing each team member, may need to run this by sponsor. To gain more

perspective on their role and their objectives for the session

7. Consider forwarding a copy of The Advantage to the sponsor

8. For executive teams of larger companies, consider a copy of The Advantage for each member.

Paste your card on the inside.

- Prepared Communication for the Client - Make it Seamless - Initial Engagement may merit Face to Face


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Pre-session Emails

Hi Fredrik,

Thanks again for the call this morning. It was great to connect and to hear the details of how things

are going with the company and the team. Everything I can learn before the offsite will help to

ensure we appropriately target the discussions to make the most significant impact in the time we

have. I'm very much looking forward to joining the team for the offsite later this month.

As I mentioned in our call, I want to get the team started on the pre-work for the session right

away. If you can forward out the email below with your own introduction, that will get things

moving. In addition, please send me a list with everyone's email address so we can track their

progress and send out the link for the team assessment.

Finally, feel free to share any other documents you think would be helpful for to me to review prior

to the offsite. I've attached two documents that should give you a good summary of I have planned

to cover in the offsite. Based on our discussion this morning, I'll likely adjust the specific agenda

further, too.

Thanks for your help with this. I look forward to talking with you soon. I'll look forward to

connecting with David soon, too.

Thanks,

Jeff


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Hello,

I will be joining you for your Executive Team Offsite Meeting on June 21-22, 2012. Throughout the

meeting, we will be discussing how to create a healthy organization and cohesive team by putting into

practice some of the principles outlined in The Advantage. To make the best use of our time, I'm asking

you to complete two pre-work assignments prior to the session:

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Assessment (we'll compare these results to your initial assessment from September)

To begin the MBTI, please follow the link immediately below. Directions and guidelines are listed on the

site. Completing this assessment usually takes about 20 minutes. If you have been through the Myers-

Briggs recently, and are comfortable with the accuracy your Type, please just come to the meeting

prepared to discuss those results. Of course, you should also feel free to take the assessment again.

http://www.tablegroup.com/myers-briggs/

One critical point I ask you to keep in mind is to please try to answer the questions using your 'natural

response,' and not your 'work-influenced response.' The reason behind this will become more evident

after we meet and discuss how we will use the Myers-Briggs.

The second assessment, based on The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, will be initiated in an email from us

(The Table Group) requesting that you take our on-line team assessment. As you respond to the

questions in this assessment, please think about how it applies to the entire leadership team, and not

the team you lead.

Please complete both assessments no later than Friday, June 8, 2012. (Although, if you can complete

them as soon as possible, we would really appreciate it.)

Thank you, in advance, for your time. If you have any questions (or trouble with the site), please feel

free to let me know.

Best,

Jeff

http://www.tablegroup.com/myers-briggs/


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Post Session

1. Find out something about the Admin., recognize this person in some way

2. Schedule and conduct a post call with the leader. Try to have this set prior to the initial 2 day,

make it a part of the overall engagement

3. Explore a post session call with each team member (30 mins.) Note: This is a case by case

recommendation – Time consuming and suggested for large organizations where each team

member leads groups large enough for their own 2 day session

a. Review MBTI

b. Review Personal Commitments

c. Core Values

d. If you do this, put it in the engagement agreement (will demonstrate additional value)

4. Offer to audit a meeting, especially if the engagement is local

5. Let participants know that you are enrolling this in TTG POV and Thoughts from the Field

6. If local, offer a keynote overview for peers in the organization

7. In debrief do included cascading options (in the form of information)

a. Teaminars

b. 1 Day – ½ Day Sessions

c. Manager Training

d. Intro other offerings: Employee Engagement

- Playbook/Offsite Notes are Important Tools - Post Session Call with Leaders Often Leads to Next Assignment - Run & Debrief a Comparison Report – 2 quarters out

- Do Something Nice for Admin.


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Post Session continued

After the Offsite, Letter #1

Nalco IT Leaders:

It was great to work with you last week at your offsite!

The first 3 months are a critical time after the initial offsite to ensure the methodologies and new

behaviors we discussed become embedded in the way that your team operates.

To help you continue your momentum and to effectively implement the methodologies introduced at

the offsite, this is the first of 3 “After the Offsite” follow up notes I will send you over the next 3 months

with tips, ideas, and reminders that will help your team ensure success. In addition to this e-mail, I will

send another letter at 6-8 weeks and a third letter at 10-12 weeks from the offsite.

How to put these e-mails to work: At a team meeting, discuss how well the team is doing against the

items listed below and decide on appropriate adjustments/actions.

Things to focus on during the first month:

1. Your daily check-in meetings are scheduled to begin 5/23 at 8:30am in Paul’s office. Remember

to keep these to 5-10 minutes - the purpose of these daily meetings is to share daily schedules

and activities Other than quick clarifying questions, if you’d like to discuss a topic that someone

has raised -do it after the meeting.

2. Angela should be scheduling regular strategic meetings on your calendars. Your first

Adhoc/Topical meeting should be flushing out the thematic goal tasks, timing, and measures.

3. Weekly staff meetings in the new format should begin this week or next. A little awkwardness

in implementing this meeting is normal at the beginning – be sure to quickly debrief at the end

of the first few meetings to review what is working/not working so that you can make

adjustments. Use a timekeeper for the lightning round to keep each person’s update to 60

seconds or less (each person should report their top 3 priorities for the week, and what topics

they’d like to discuss at the meeting).

4. Your team should incorporate a handful of key metrics to review during tactical meetings –

“red” items should be queued up as agenda items.

5. Remember to keep your conflict norms visible and Stewart will remind the team about them at

the beginning of meetings.

6. Use your core purpose, business definition, strategic anchors, and thematic goal to help

provide context to your organization when communicating, and to provide context to your

strategic discussions as a team.

7. Help each other to be successful implementing your individual commitments to the team; as

well as with your team commitments to: work on common goals, talk about the real issues, and

leverage the expertise of the team.


25

After the Offsite, Letter #1 continued

I’ve signed you up to receive our bi-monthly newsletter, Thoughts from the Field, which is written by our

team of Table Group Principal Consultants. In it, we provide you with on-going, practical advice that

helps extend the effectiveness of our consulting efforts. To learn more, visit our website at

www.tablegroupconsulting.com.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need any assistance or guidance over the next several weeks.

I’m happy to help and I don’t charge for phone time.

Best Regards,

After the Offsite #2 – 6 to 8 weeks

Nalco IT Leaders- This is the second of three “After the Offsite” emails I am sending to help you implement the methodologies and new behaviors we discussed at the initial offsite. You are now about halfway through the important first three months following your initial offsite. Please use these emails as a guide/discussion tool to track your progress during this time.

1. Thematic Goal - Your team should be making good progress on your thematic goal of Deploying Mobile Solutions. By now, defining objectives, owners, timelines, and metrics should all be identified, and these items should be driving staff meeting conversations.

2. Daily Check-ins - Now is a good time to assess the effectiveness of your daily stand-up meetings for your team. What adjustments should you make? Are they providing value to continue?

3. Crisp Meetings - By now, you have hopefully held at least one Strategic Meeting and Angela has scheduled ongoing monthly strategic meetings on your calendars. You should notice that your Tactical Meetings are becoming more crisp and effective. Debate should be more open and unfiltered. There should be clear decisions and closure after discussions, and cascading messages should be consistently communicated to the next level. Are you consciously separating tactical and strategic topics?

4. Follow Through on Personal Commitments - You should be taking action on the personal commitments you made during the initial offsite (remember those?). A good exercise at an upcoming staff meeting is to quickly review each person’s commitment, provide feedback to each other on progress, and identify potential adjustments or next steps.

5. Quarterly Offsite – now is a good time to schedule the first follow up quarterly meeting (for the early/mid-September timeframe) so that people can plan around it.

I will be back in touch with a final After the Offsite note to you in another four to six weeks. In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns around any of these items, please feel free to contact me - I would be happy to talk with you! Have a great summer!

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=bvdjkobab&et=1103969411646&s=104&e=00146op7d7PQFNTcRtAjFqN8VojmRhZDjBpFFNzczTUzuN2rSPFXTfex-0ai2OyGHcjH6TaajO1IZyEwXPZz8ShvNSFMusDrOOK22Uikw0pJhVJDPTN85LHbY-V-4Jf6rgj


26

After the Offsite #3 – 10 to 12 weeks

Nalco IT Leaders:

This is the third and final “After the Offsite” email I will send to help you implement the methodologies

and new behaviors we discussed at the initial offsite. As you’ve worked together over the last 3 months,

you should be seeing many of the changes taking hold within the team, and you should be performing

together at a much higher level. Specifically, your team should be experiencing the following:

1. Team meetings should be much more productive. You should be able to look back on your

former meeting approaches and see a real difference. You should be much better at the

mechanics of your meetings and should be noticing that meetings are crisper, more compelling,

and maybe even shorter!

2. The level of honesty and engagement in team discussions should be much higher and people

should not be holding back. You should be noticing more of the expertise of the team being

leveraged and more issues being raised for discussion where the team can be used as a

“sounding board.”

3. The team should be showing a willingness to address the “real issues” together and coming to

resolution around them.

4. “Team #1” - There should be real “buy-in” to this principle and you should view the IT

Leadership Team as your #1 team. You should be more focused on common goals and your

next-level reports should be noticing that your team is more cohesive.

5. The individual and team commitments you identified in the initial offsite should be taking hold.

Team members should be noticing tangible changes and progress in those areas.

6. There should be significant progress on your thematic goal – “Deploying Mobile Solutions.”

There may be defining objectives that are completely done by now and the team should be

feeling a sense of momentum and traction.

If you are feeling good about the items listed above, congratulations! You are well on your way to

becoming a high performing team.

I look forward to working with you on next steps to continue your progress as a team, and I wish you

well in your merger with Ecolab.

Please let me know if I can help in any way, and I look forward to hearing more about your progress in

the upcoming weeks.

Best Regards,


27

Next Steps & Recommendations

1. Set-up the post call within your initial engagement agreement

a. Follow-up on thematic goal and defining objectives

b. Discussion on cascading messages

2. In your initial agreement – Add a Comparison Report – This will secure a second interaction w/

significant context

3. Add a “Next Steps” section within your off-site notes

4. Ask for their regular training schedule and see where you may fill in gaps

5. Look where you can augment their effort on cascading messaging

6. Collaborate with the business partner on Train the Trainer sessions

7. Offer an engagement model that has quarterly pricing

8. Get them to be equally excited about cascading this down throughout the organization

9. Maintain communication with this client, they are YOUR client now. YOU work for them. Send

articles, keep them on Constant Contact, reach out with new offerings

- Understand Our Solutions Model (attachment) - Quarterly Off-sites, Virtual Session, Cascading Events - Thematic Goal Integration - Monthly Strategic Facilitation - Training – Coaching


28

Next Steps & Recommendations

Example of Value Add Resources to Keep Client Engaged

ADDING A NEW TEAM MEMBER When adding new team members the existing team and team leader will need to spend time bringing the new member(s) up to speed. Most of the following are designed to be completed when the entire team is present, not in a one x one conversation.

Have the new team member read, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Advatage

Share the Team Assessment results with the new team member. This should be a dialogue so the new member can ask questions. Team members (more than the team leader) should explain the progress made since the original assessment was completed.

The entire team should repeat the Personal Histories Exercise and share the highlights from the Social Styles section in the workbook. The new team member should participate in both. (from Month Two)

The team’s established Conflict Norms need to be shared. Team members should highlight how the team has used the norms during team meetings to encourage healthy conflict. (from Month Three) Issue Resolution

If the team created a Thematic Goal, share and discuss the Thematic Goal and Defining Objectives. Share progress to date. It’s important to share that a Thematic Goal answers the question, “what is the single most important thing we as a team need to accomplish in next 6 to 9 months?” (from Month Three)

Set the “peer-to-peer” team effectiveness exercise accountability expectation with the new team member. In other words, when we have issues with each other we discuss and resolve as opposed to turning to the team’s leader as the sole accountability source. Also set the expectation about to sharing feedback with fellow team members on a regular basis. At this point do not redo the Team Effectiveness Exercise unless the entire team is going to do so and share different feedback. (from Month Four)

Explain the rationale behind the team’s meeting structure. If you implemented Daily’s, Weekly Tactical, and Monthly Adhoc/Topical meetings (or just elements of each) describe why the team decided on this meeting structure. (from Month Four)

If your team changes more than 50% a different approach is necessary. 30 days after the new team is established, start fresh with Application Session #1. If possible, ask outgoing team members to leave their materials. Otherwise you should contact Learning & Development about additional materials.


29

Next Steps & Recommendations continued


NEW LEADER ASSIMILATION PROCESS Purpose: The New Leader Assimilation is a process for opening communication channels for new or existing leadership and their staff. In the case of a new manager, it answers questions that would otherwise take up to a year to answer, and sets the stage for building individual and team relationships. It also speeds the process of communicating a clear vision, and therefore, maintains and/or improves overall productivity. Time Needed: 1 Day (will include Myers-Briggs Assessment). Step 1: If team has previously been through MBTI – If not, incorporate in session

Flip chart Type Table / Team Type with team members MBTI Type

Have new leader read one pager from Working Together book

Add new leader to MBTI Team Type Table

Discuss areas of overlap / concern Step 2: Questions for the Team

Break team into small group. Have them answer the questions. The new team member / leader is not part of a small group (they can work on their Leader Questions; see step 3 below)

Bring groups back together with leader in the room. Have a group answer questions out loud (sometimes helpful to assign specific questions to each group). Have other group add comment as necessary.

Give leader opportunity to ask questions. Step 3: Leader’s Questions

Assign questions as pre-work for leader

Have leader share answers

Give the team opportunity to ask questions.


30

Questions for the Team

1. What do we already know about ________ and his/her background?

2. What additional things would we like to know about him/her?

3. What does _______ need to know about us as a group?

4. What concerns do we have about ______ in their new role?

5. What are the key issues and challenges that ________ needs to address within the next: 3 months? 6 months?

1 year?

6. What recommendations do you have for dealing with the issues and meeting the challenges?

7. What do we perceive ________’s role to be?

8. What information, actions, and/or decision do we expect from __________?

9. If you could change one thing in the organization, what would it be?

10. What would you like to see done that is innovative, creative, or state-of-the art?

11. What advice would you offer _________ as he/she begins his/her new role?

12. What team / conflict norms have been established? What other norms should be added to the list?

13. What rules of engagement / structure regarding meetings should _______ be aware of?

14. What behaviors are rewarded and recognized on the team? Are they the right behaviors to support and encourage amongst ourselves?

15. Add specific questions pertaining to Organizational Clarity (e.g. Values, Thematic Goal, Strategic Anchors, etc.)


31

New Leader Assimilation – Leader’s Pre-Work

1. What brought me into this position? 2. What are my future professional goals? 3. What are my future personal goals? 4. How would I describe my leadership / management style? 5. How do I like to receive feedback? 6. What motivates me? 7. How will you know I’m stressed? What do I do to handle stress? 8. What are my expectations for the group? 9. Where do I see the organization going? (Short-term/Long-term) 10. What do I expect in the way of communication/information from the group? 11. What are the issues/challenges I see as priorities for the next 6 months? 1 year?


32

Next Steps & Recommendations continued


“DEEP” PERSONAL HISTORIES EXERCISE

BACKGROUND & MOTIVE QUESTIONS 1. Where did you grow up?

2. What did you do as a kid?

3. How did you get involved in those activities?

4. What school did you attend?

5. What made you choose that school over other schools?

6. What was your major or technical training?

7. Why did you choose that major or technical training?

REFLECTION / VALUE QUESTIONS

8. If you could go back in time, what about your life would you change or do differently?

9. Tell me about a great moment or accomplishment.

10. Who has been the greatest influence on your life and why?

11. How do you define success?

12. During the past month what was the best thing that happened to you (inside or outside of work)?

13. During the past month what was the most challenging thing to happen to you (inside or outside

of work)?

OUTLOOK QUESTIONS

14. In the next month what professional situation will be most demanding? 15. In the next month what personal situation will be most demanding


33

Referrals

1. Make it easy for the client to give referrals (preparing introductory emails for the client to send,

listing benefits with the client, any follow-up on their behalf)

2. Seek referrals from pro-bono clients as well

3. If your pro-bono work is with a non-profit, make your “payment” an introduction to each board

member by the executive director

4. Have your referrals posted on your LinkedIn page

5. Engage with opinion leaders and share our services

a. Economic Development Directors – Each City has one and they know what companies

are in town or coming soon

b. Business Park managers

i. (ex. Hacienda Business Park, Pleasanton CA has over 65,000 workers. Get into

their newsletter)

c. Chamber of Commerce Executive Directors – get on their training schedule

d. Real Estate Agents – Those who specialize in executive relocation (offer to put a book

into their welcome basket)

6. Create relationships with synergistic professions

a. Senior level executive recruiters – they need their high-level candidates to succeed

b. Business and Software Incubator Center executive Directors – perfect for Teaminars

c. Software implementation companies – they need effective project teams

d. Attorneys who specialize in mergers

7. Make referrals a part of your business and a natural part of any engagement. Your clients have

peers in other organizations, they belong to professional societies and they sit on other boards.

Ask.

- Know How and When to Ask - Make it Easy for the Client - Ask to Recommend on LinkedIn

- Ask Others within Your Network


34

Building Your Business: The Four Levels

of a Consultant

Vendor:

Provider of goods and service

Preferred Vendor:

Frequently contacted in the selection process

Trusted Advisor:

Asked to participate in discussion, or needs

analysis.

Strategic Partner:

Considered part of the inner sanctum Part of the team

Adjunct board member Participant in analysis, design, development

and delivery (if appropriate) Capable of helping without being primary

source of expertise


35

Recommended Reading on Consulting Practice Development

This is our Consulting Model. By putting this approach into practice and trough adopting described behaviors, your practice will grow.

A classic work on how to go beyond the consulting relationship to become a “Trusted Advisor” A very client centered approach.

Warning: A bit slick…just look at the cover. But full of great ideas on cost effective marketing and generating referrals. Also, nice set of working questions to develop your target clients.

Very clear explanation on levels of effort around a million dollar practice. Many examples are relevant to how TGCP run their businesses.

A solid resource on the mining and use of referrals. Referrals continue to be the #1 source of new business generation for TGCP’s

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