Ask Liz
Wonder how we can help you improve customer care and employee relations? Ask Liz—she'd love to help.
To send a question about working with Liz, click here.
Q. You've given us plenty of information about what you do and your experience. But how do we know if you're the right consultant for us?
A. Choosing a consultant is a little like choosing a doctor or dating someone new; it's hard to know if you're right for each other until you spend some time together. As a next step, we can chat on the phone and discuss whatever concerns you have. Then you may want to speak with other consultants to learn about more options before you make the leap.
Q. Do you work on every assignment yourself?
A. Yes. I prefer to be directly involved whenever results are predicated on the nature and depth of the consulting relationship itself, in such areas as conducting organizational assessments or facilitations or serving as a sounding board for management. There are specialists and subcontractors I can call on, depending on the particular needs of a given project.
Q. What if we don't agree with your findings?
A. Although you may not agree with or choose to act on all my recommendations, it would be highly unusual for there to be disagreement about the findings.
Q. What will you bring to us that we can't figure out ourselves?
A. It could be the candor and openness that are easy for me, as an outsider, to feel and demonstrate. It might be the time and attention that no one in-house can divert from the daily press of business. Or maybe you just need a jump-start to get focused and moving. I come in with no ax to grind or position to defend, so I can help you define what you want to accomplish and also serve as a credible liaison to the rest of the organization. Certainly, you can expect to benefit from the knowledge and experience I've accumulated during more than 25 years of problem solving with a broad variety of organizations, operations, executives, and employees.
Q. How do we know if this is the right time to bring you in?
A. It depends on your situation. For example, if you want help vetting a major change process such as a facility startup or drastic reorganization, then we should get started as early in the process as possible, so I can help you identify which knowledge, structures, policies, and procedures will be needed in the new location or structure. But if you're already in the middle of a change process such as installing a new system or consolidating operations facilities, then it's often best to have me come in after things have settled down a little, and I can help identify what's working, what's not working, and what to do about it.
Q. Doesn't bringing a consultant in strongly suggest that our staff has somehow failed?
A. No more than going to the doctor when you're ill means that you've failed at healing yourself. Focused attention, common sense, and good faith may not be sufficient to solve complicated problems or address underlying barriers to performance. Sometimes it's necessary to bring in a specialist who knows how to treat the particular conditions you're experiencing, or an outsider with a neutral perspective.
Q. We need a little advice, but nothing hands-on. Could we just talk for a few hours on the phone and pay for your time?
A. It's quite possible if we've already met, and have a sense of mutual respect and trust. The kind of advice you're seeking also matters. Sometimes a general conversation is enough; sometimes I need to see your operation and get to know the people involved before I can make actionable recommendations. We should talk in detail about the difficulties you're confronting and the results you're trying to achieve. Then we'll have a better sense of whether a phone relationship will work.
Q. We'd like to hire you to give our staff a motivational talk. They've been down recently, and we know you would give them a boost.
A. A motivational talk revs people up, but it can be like a mid-afternoon candy bar—after the sugar high comes another slump. It would be more effective and longer lasting to identify ways to give your employees clearer direction, more varied work, or greater recognition for contributing to your organization. I can probably help you in this regard.
Q. Will you work on just one specific area for us, or do we have to have you involved in everything?
A. We'll figure out the project scope and boundaries together. I have to understand your organization and culture well enough to make sure my activities and recommendations fit your context and environment. And just to prepare you, I'm rather inclined to stick my two cents in, so you may also hear my opinions on areas you didn't originally think of as being related.
Contact Liz Kislik today to learn more about how she can help improve your company's customer experience and human relations.
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