As I closed my Q&A with Gary Cohen, I asked about working with oursourced resources. Service and technology providers are integral parts of many projects, but too often I see them treated like arms-length vendors rather than true partners.
- Crossderry: What kind of questions should we ask consultants and vendors to reinforce to them — and to other stakeholders — that we are all in this together?
- Gary Cohen: To encourage partnership with consultants, I recommend asking the following questions:
* What risks are there to you if the project fails?
* What opportunity costs are you giving up in order for us to work together?
* What would like to hear me say to you a month after the project has been completed? What praise, in other words, would signify the optimal outcome?
* What might prevent you from hearing that praise?
* What can I do to help you achieve the optimal outcome?
Filed under: PMO | Tagged: Business Transformation, CO2 Partners, empathy, Gary Cohen, Human Resources, Just Ask Leadership, Leadership, outsourcing, vendor management | Leave a comment »