Find the “And” That Lets You Serve All Your Stakeholders “The Golden Triangle” is a term I coined several years ago to serve as a counter to the classic “Iron Triangle” of Project Management (scope, cost, schedule). The Golden Triangle serves as a simple guideline for leaders in the organization Read more…
A Parable About Knowing When to Stop Talking This is a common story they tell at Sandler sales training. I’m repeating it here from memory — I might have some of the details wrong. The Story A nice young couple walk into a furniture store. They’re looking for a desk. They’re approached Read more…
Know When it’s Time to “Call The Meeting” The Why If you have more than two people involved in making a decision, and it’s not happening on its own, don’t try to get it done by having a series of 1×1 conversations. Get everybody together in one place, looking at Read more…
Know When and How to Escalate the Communication Channel When I was in consulting, one of our firm’s distinguishing characteristics as a provider of professional services to enterprise organizations was that we didn’t deliver with a heavy on-site presence. Where most of our competitors established relationships and maintained “stickiness” with Read more…
Help Clients Feel Good About a Project Because it’s Their Idea to Feel Good About it The Emotional Pendulum is a mental model I’ve found useful when interacting with clients, especially in situations where things aren’t going as well as we’d like (or as they’d like), or when we need Read more…
Ensure Collaboration From the Start The first time I saw the phrase “Up-Front contract,” I assumed, like a lot of people do, that it had to do with how you develop the initial version of a written contract, like a statement of work for an engagement. Of course, I was Read more…
Use the WEDGE Method to Train and Instruct The Why Teaching others is the best way to confirm that you actually know something. It’s also a great way to re-cement a skill for yourself. Approaching a topic in a deliberate, thoughtful manner, with enough focus and detail to be able Read more…