Consulting Skills Training: Establish Strategic Relationships
The Establish Strategic Relationships module develops the participants’ instincts for seeing beyond the current project’s immediate objectives and client team. Learning includes how to enhance your team’s reputation and increase your ability to influence future decisions and strategic direction. This module relates to both building blocks on the middle layer of The Pyramid. Establishing effective relationships is critical to an employee’s ability to perform on a project and to build influence beyond the project team. The 90-minute session includes:
- Pre-Briefing to reinforce the concept of workmap-based collaborative learning, introduce the topic and emphasize the importance of relationships in consulting.
- Workmap Scenario, which describes the case study to be used for all activities in this workmap.
- Identify Key Players – The team must determine, with limited information, which team members are critical to the success of the project.
- Determine priorities, objectives and “The One Thing” that you must do to establish an effective relationship with each Key Player.
- The Conflict Roadmap provides a tool for resolving (and preventing future) conflict and allows the participants to gain practical experience using it.
- Extend Your Network encourages participants to think beyond their own immediate circle for opportunities to expand their sphere of influence.
- Debriefing to review lessons learned, reinforce core concepts and allow participants to share experiences related to the topic.
The Establish Strategic Relationships module is designed for 4-6 people to work together to complete the exercises. Each kit includes one poster-size workmap, case study game pieces, handout packets for each participant to keep and the Training Guide, which contains step-by-step instructions for each of the training exercises and discussion questions to facilitate group learning. Participants apply their varied backgrounds and experiences to reinforce learning as the training progresses.
Prerequisites: Accomplish Objectives
Time: 2 hours
