From the course: Critical Roles Consultants Play (and the Skills You Need to Fill Them)
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Influencing as a leader and follower
From the course: Critical Roles Consultants Play (and the Skills You Need to Fill Them)
Influencing as a leader and follower
- One of the characters in the children's book Doctor Doolittle is a pushmi-pullyu. It's a four-legged, two-headed animal that has one head facing front and the other facing back. Sometimes I think the best consultants have that dual direction capability. They can easily take on the leader and follower roles to maximize their influence. Influencing is necessary to inspire your client to make decisions or to follow your lead. Leadership is needed to demonstrate you're competent and will not lead your client astray. Most clients will have, to some degree, put their reputation on the line when they hire a consultant. Making your client feel comfortable with that decision is important. Good leadership helps your client believe he needs to follow your direction making you influential. Showing you're a good follower is needed to show you can work within the culture and expectations of your client. In contrast to leadership, being a good follower will help your client want to follow your…
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