With several clients, my meetings seem to be less productive than they usually are and occasionally we have to schedule another meeting to finish our work. Any tips on how to help clients be better prepared?

I assume you are talking about getting everything you want done in a session. But what gets done during a session is only half the reason for a meeting. The other part is what we want the parties to think, feel and believe both prior to and at the conclusion of a meeting. When we plan a meeting (if we even do think through the meeting in advance) with only an agenda of topics to cover, we shortchange the process and waste a lot of everyone's time. This applies with client-consultant meetings as well as any meeting between two people. The success of a meeting is in the preparation, and full preparation may take more time than the meeting itself.

Consider the following prerequisites to hold an effective meeting (as the consultant, it is our job to see that these get done, either by us or our client):

• Ask whether a meeting is the most effective vehicle for what you want to do ("let's meet" is a reflexive response to the need for any decision, information transfer or inquiry, but there may be less intrusive or more effective ways to accomplish these objectives)
• Decide who really needs to attend (if you are not contributing something or making a decision, read it in the minutes)
• Specify what preparation must be completed (don't occupy time in a meeting with tasks that can be done alone in advance)
• Make sure information needed for distribution or decisions is in hand (never delay a decision or assignment because you don't have data)
• Be sure attendees are emotionally ready (usually overlooked; if a decision is to be made, are questions answered, has there been adequate time to socialize a tough decision or do attendees know each other well enough to avoid confrontations?)
• Assure enough time is available for complete discussion and deliberation (do a dry run of the meeting to be sure enough time has been allocated for full deliberation (sequence meeting items to be sure that delays can be accommodated by deferring items or extending the meeting)
• Confirm meeting process/ground rules are acceptable (how will decisions be made, who will hold people accountable for action steps, and who is running the meeting?).

Other items are a function of the type of meeting you are conducting.

Tip: To the extent possible, clients should always run consultant/client meetings. Even if the consultant planned the meeting, prepared the presentation or advance materials, and was material in creating the decision framework for the meeting, the client needs to be in charge. Meetings in which the consultant drives send a subtle but powerful message that the consultant is responsible, if not accountable, for managerial decisions. This undermines the client's confidence in their own ability and position to manage their organization.

© 2009 Institute of Management Consultants USA

I see lots of consultants have written books and this alone seems to give them instant credibility. Is it worth the trouble?

Thirty years ago, when the barriers to publishing were substantially higher, being the author of a book did bring substantial credibility. Not so much these days, although it depends what you want the book to do for you.

First, do you have anything compelling to say? Having only the desire to write a book, much less to write it for notoriety alone, is insufficient reason to sit down at the keyboard and start typing. Look at the compelling and timeless business or consulting books around – there are not a lot of them. Now look at the business books that Amazon lists of $0.01 and have hundreds of used copies for sale. A book about consulting may look good in your marketing materials, but assume that people may check out how good your book it is. Instead of a reputation booster, it may well be the opposite, and once it is published, you can't take it back.

One good way to know if you have a book in you is to see how you feel when you read other books about consulting or listed to "experts" in your industry or discipline. If you are well versed in the industry or discipline and strongly disagree with many of these people, or you think the ways they explain processes or trends are off the mark, or you have something innovative in your work that clients have repeatedly found valuable and for which you are getting a good reputation, then you have the kernel of a book. Given this potential value, however, your vehicle may not be a book, but workshops, speeches, articles, ezines, blog or case studies. If you are not generating solid and useful services in high demand as a consultant, a book will not create that demand. Better to spend your time developing your business than struggling with a book.

Tip: Don’t take this as arguing against books entirely. A book may be an OK vehicle, but consider where it fits in your overall business plan. Books are good to launch a speaking career but it is hard to compile speeches into a book. Blogs are best if you have a steady stream of ideas about emerging trends, for which a book is the wrong vehicle. Yet, a collection of blogs may make a good compilation, ezine or book. There are so many books (almost 1,000 books are published each day in the US, plus an unknown number of self published books) that you will be fighting an uphill battle for recognition. The business of publishing is changing rapidly (e.g., print on demand) and, as great a consultant as you are, take advantage of the expertise of agents. They know the market, the process and the scenario your book idea will take.

© 2009 Institute of Management Consultants USA

I know consultants are often unwelcome on boards but it would seem to be good experience. If I could help an organization, shouldn't I offer, or accept an offer, to serve on a board?

You are right that consultants are often unwelcome on boards, but not always. Aside from the obvious concerns about conflicts of interest with consultants serving on boards of organizations to whom they are providing consulting services, it is the nature of their perspective that causes some concerns. It could be argued that a management consultant could provide business experience, context, and guidance to an organization. However, this is the appropriate role of management, not of the board as the governing body. As such, some boards pull in the welcome mat for consultants.

Perhaps the first issue to consider is what the board really needs. If they are an operating board and not a governing board, then maybe your management consulting expertise may have a place. Second, what do you have to offer? Are you bringing something unique? As smart and experienced as you may be, are your attributes really something that would add value to this organization at this time in a board role? Third, what will you get out of the experience? Are you looking for experience in board operations to add to your credentials, build your insight into how boards operate, or are you passionate about the organization's mission and want to contribute? If it is only the first two, reconsider. Even though those reasons may be useful to you, what value do they bring the board?

Tip: Board service can provide professional growth in addition to serving your desire to contribute to a cause. When you spend your time thinking about management, planning and execution, some time putting on a board/governance hat can provide useful perspective. It does not have to be for the same types of organizations in which you normally consult. A well run nonprofit board or corporate board in an entirely new industry can challenge your skills and broaden your understanding of how different boards function.

© 2009 Institute of Management Consultants USA