ReferreesMy friend and colleague Garth Nowland-Foreman likes to say that “Sacred cows make the best hamburger.”  So for this month’s chat, I went searching for a topic that would go well with fries!

After putting out a call for Consulting Sacred Cows – the “shoulds” we are all taught as if written on stone tablets – one issue won by a landslide.

Sacred Cow:  Consultant Impartiality / Getting “Too Close” to Clients
The issue of “getting too close” has come up in several #NPCons chats in the past few months. It comes up in various forms in listserv discussions and consultant roundtables.

  • If I am the facilitator, must I refrain from contributing? Can I participate AND facilitate?
  • Can I be “out” about my point of view?
  • Should I facilitate a group if I am on the board? What if I am not on the board, but know the group really well?
  • What are the lines that shouldn’t be crossed? Where does “caring” begin and end? And isn’t caring what makes me a good consultant?

Responses to these questions are always rooted in the assumption that the facilitator’s / consultant’s goal is some form of impartiality.

We’re not talking about “impartiality” as in “taking sides between two factions.”  What we are talking about is the degree to which we are encouraged to not get too involved, too close. Not to care too much.  To stay detached. To not become too close with board members, with staff.

So that will be the topic for this months’ chat:

  • When we’re talking about “consultant impartiality,” what do we really mean?
  • Is such impartiality required? Is it even desirable?
  • Is it a bad idea to get “too close” to a client? Might it even be a good thing to get that close? And how close is “too close” anyway?

So should this sacred cow be banished to the barbecue? Or is there merit in the assumption that ‘impartial is best”?

Join us on August 17th at 1pm Pacific time and let’s find out!