That's the origin of my post early in this thread about having 100% control of the company. I have quit several very well paying contracts over the years because of lack of control. I'd make up project plans/charts and people would agree to time lines and such. I'd leave for a week, come back and no progress had been made. I'd speak with upper management and they'd promise me everything. But, same thing would happen - No progress.
I value my reputation. If they're not interested in making things happen, the project will fail and they would undoubtedly blame me, so it was easiest to not charge them and let them find someone else.
Me too. It takes a while to build one.
I've done the same as you (and will again if necessary.). No control/authority to make things happen but all the responsibility? No thanks, doesn't work. I've also learned from these and got better at spotting 'no win' situations early on, and declining. This sounds very much like one of those.
In my opinion, these situations call for consultants who are in the upper echelon of consulting where the focus is on the big picture of changing an entire organization culture rather than the narrow focus (as it seems to many company executives) of adding a certification. I'm sure many ISO consultants have run across organizations where the top management thinks of adding an ISO registration on the same scale as repainting the company lunchroom. Where such a situation causes many consultants to throw up their hands and say
"If they're not interested in making things happen, the project will fail and they would undoubtedly blame me, so it was easiest to not charge them and let them find someone else." the upper echelon consultant actually seeks out such situations.
Such a "big picture" oriented consultant spends time delving into the REAL motive behind an organization's quest for anything new to it, whether it be registration to an International Standard, meeting new government regulations, entering new markets, changing suppliers, etc. BEFORE he frames the consulting contract. This assures both consultant and client are on the same page and will work toward the same goal.
Certainly, some executives lie, while others don't even suspect what their true motive is. Whether it is deception or ignorance on the part of the top management, a good, experienced consultant can recognize that early on and make the value decision whether he is competent to help the organization bosses change.
- If yes, he has to have the courage (and often, the gravitas) to describe the true "root cause" which needs to be corrected and persuade them to pay the consultant to help them correct it.
- If no, the consultant has a number of options: just walking away being the easiest. Telling the bosses they need a lot more change than just picking up a piece of paper for the lobby wall is a lot tougher.
Bottom line:
I've recognized consulting situations that were beyond my ability to accomplish. Being beyond my personal ability may be something as simple to recognize as impossible time tables or as complex as powerhouse competitors in the prospect's market actively working to squeeze them out of the market. Sometimes, I just can't put my finger on the things that really need to be fixed after several hours of interviews and research. In any case, I always find that the blunt truth works better for me than just walking away without explanation or referral. Often, it works better for the prospective client as well.
It may be the way I frame the tale or just luck, but I've always gotten a
"Thank you for your frankness." response after delivering such an explanation and none have called security guards to throw me into the street.
