Dear Leader:

"You bring me to a reality other than the one in which I am immersed." This reader gets it! That's what I thought when I read a subscriber's feedback in an e-mail. She gets that the reason I write is to expand horizons, introduce new ways of looking at situations, and offer insights that may be helpful leading others.

Leaders operate in different fields, organizational structures, cultures, financial environments. What do leaders have in common? Skills might be your first answer and that's a good one. What I see as what we have in common is that we're all working to be a leader.

Leadership is an ongoing process, not a static plateau that you reach and never leave. To help ignite more interactivity around the topic of leadership, I've created a blog called Working to Be a Leader, an informal chronicle of observations, thoughts, and advice.

The latest entry by Carrie Gravenson, LTR's Programs Manager, is titled, "Writing to be Heard." That happens to be the name of the first of a series of four workshops in LTR's fall series on "Communications Strategies." "Writing" is scheduled for Monday, September, 17, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. here at LTR's office. Please contact Carrie for more information and our special series pricing. Or visit the LTR website to read more about the offerings.

Whatever your current reality, I hope your fall is full of opportunities to experience new ones!

Lead with your best,

Leigh

The president of a small architectural firm hired a consultant for the expertise he brought to a project team. This creative consultant came with good references and an established track record in his particular area. The assignment was one of a few the consultant had at the time and his initial enthusiasm and commitment made the president feel comfortable with the choice.

However, a third of the way through, the consultant began to show up for meetings without needed documents, took a vacation on short notice at a critical time, and, over half-way through the project, didn't have room on his schedule to meet with other team members at the client site. The only way the president could reach him most of the time was through e-mail and that was not always in a timely manner.

With over 80% of the project completed, the president was faced with the challenge of how to finish the work in the most cost-effective manner while maintaining the tone of the design the consultant brought to project.

The president was ambivalent about terminating the consultant and sought ways to lead the consultant in such a way that he still could contribute to the project. Here's five strategies I offered:

1. President communicate expectations to consultant in person. Although e-mail is the preferred method of communicating in many situations, it shouldn't be the only way. The president needs to sit down with the consultant with a clear list of expectations and guidelines for the rest of the project (see below). The consultant is not an employee but is someone who deserves respect for what they have done and the respect of being told how they can improve.

2. Limit the role of the consultant. During the talk with the consultant, it will probably be clear what the 'competing commitments' are for the consultant that has altered his focus on the project. In fact, cutting back on the contributions of the consultant wherever possible could be what the consultant wasn't asking directly for but was what he needed. Assigning another member of the team to do some aspects of the job during the last phase of work could be effective for all.

3. Set clear agendas. The president -- or project manager -- needs to set clear agendas in writing that includes what is needed at the meeting, the dependencies for the data or materials, etc. The agendas should be sent via e-mail and a telephone call needs to be made as well to reinforce attendance with all required information.

4. Eliminate procurement responsibilities. Often a consultant on such a team takes on the role of finding suppliers of goods and services. Moving this responsibility to another team member -- or an underutilized staff member for a short period of time -- will allow the consultant to focus on specific deliverables.

5. Include consultant in wrap-up. The president agreed that the consultant had made an initial valuable contribution to the design project. Including the consultant in the wrap-up meeting, final session, etc. will acknowledge the contribution and show respect for what the consultant achieved.

After the president talked with the consultant, the air was clearer and the consultant able to more easily set his priorities. He was able to have a narrow focus that helped the team bring the project in to the client's satisfaction and the president's relief.

Leigh's fall schedule of speaking engagements includes:

• Keynote Address: "Respect: How to Earn It," THE Marketing Event 2007, Society for Marketing Professional Services on November 9th.

Other keynote and workshop titles are included at the LTR website. If you don't find the exact topic for your audience listed, please contact Carrie Gravenson.

Communication Strategies: Fall Schedule

LTR's on-site fall schedule includes:

• Writing to be Heard, Monday, September 17
• Respect: How to Earn It, How to Show It, Wednesday, September 26
• Leading from Your Core for Greater Impact, Monday, October 15
• Improving Your Leadership Intelligence, Wednesday, October 24

The fee for one class is $50; subscribe to the entire series and pay for three classes.

Reserve space for yourself -- or your employees -- or inquire about ways to bring our customized programs to your workplace.