Your Change Starts Before You Even Commission the Work

Fifteen years ago, I was sitting in a conversation with a senior manager. Let’s call him M.W. He came to me with a sentence I have heard hundreds of times since.

“We need a training. Can you help?”

At that time, I was an in-house consultant, not an external advisor. That changed the dynamic of the conversation in subtle but important ways. I will come back to that later.

But first, what came out of that sentence.

Not a training. Instead, a fundamental redesign of the career model in the engineering department. A realization that traditional hierarchical promotion is not the only path for professional development. Conversations with leaders who began to question whether they were in roles that truly matched their strengths. The creation of new positions that made technical excellence visible without requiring people management responsibility. A transformation that reshaped the leadership model of the entire department.

M.W. and I are still in contact today. We respect each other deeply and stay connected, even though neither of us works in that organization anymore.

What became possible back then had one simple reason.

We did not start by organizing a training.

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What Happens in the Worst Case

When a leader says “we need a training”, or “we need to improve communication”, or “we should run a workshop on team culture”, this is an important signal. It shows a clear intention for change.

But it is usually not the solution.

In most cases, this type of request already contains a predefined answer. It describes a familiar format, not the underlying problem. It does not yet clarify what actually needs to be solved, and it certainly does not guarantee that the proposed solution is the most effective one.

In the worst case, exactly what was requested is delivered.

A training is sourced. Proposals are compared. Dates are scheduled. The workshop takes place. Participants fill out feedback forms. Everyone is satisfied.

Three months later, nothing has changed.

This is not the fault of the leader. It is not the fault of the participants. It is the natural consequence of skipping the most important step in any consulting engagement and leadership development process.

No one asked what was really behind the request.

When leaders say “we need to improve communication”, it is rarely about communication skills. More often, something else is going on. People do not speak openly because they have learned that it does not make a difference. Because openness has not been rewarded in the past. Because the unwritten rules of the system say: say what is expected, not what you actually think.

A communication training does not solve this. It improves surface behavior in a system that prevents depth.

This is not a criticism of leaders who formulate requests in this way. It is often the most honest statement possible when the real issue is not yet clear. And it is the responsibility of the consultant to uncover what is actually going on before proposing any intervention.

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What Helps Instead

Let’s go back to M.W. and the moment that changed everything.

After his request – “we need a training” – we moved into different questions.

Not: what exactly do you want to train?Not: when should the workshop take place?

Instead: what would it look like if the situation had significantly improved? What would we observe? What would we hear, maybe even feel? How would people behave differently?

These questions force specificity. And in that specificity, the real issue begins to emerge.

“More openness” suddenly becomes: someone says in a meeting that the timeline is unrealistic – and nothing negative happens as a consequence.

Then the next question follows.

What happens today when someone says that?

And then: what happens when a new team member joins, someone who does not yet know the unwritten rules and simply speaks their mind? How do others react?

These questions are not about curiosity. They are about understanding the system. They help differentiate between a skills problem and a systemic problem. Between a situation where training might help and one where deeper organizational change is required.

This can feel uncomfortable, for both sides. The leader expects solutions. The consultant asks questions.

But this is exactly the moment where it becomes clear whether the collaboration will create real impact or just activity.

At that time, I was an in-house consultant. That gave me a certain level of trust. But the mandate for these kinds of questions does not come from a role. It comes from the quality of the questions themselves.

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The First Request Is Never the Real Assignment

Imagine going to a doctor and saying: “I need painkillers.”

There are three possible reactions. The doctor gives you the pills. The doctor asks what kind of pain you have. Or the doctor takes the time to understand your situation in order to recommend the best possible solution.

Sometimes painkillers are exactly the right answer.

But you only know that after asking the right questions.

The same applies to leadership development and organizational transformation. “We need a training” is the beginning of a conversation, not its conclusion.

Over time, I have learned to always question the initial request. Not because I know better, but because I am convinced that only a deeper understanding of the situation leads to an effective solution.

This changes the assignment.

Sometimes it confirms the original request. Sometimes a workshop or training is indeed the right intervention. But then both sides understand why.

And that is the difference between an intervention that creates real change and one that simply creates the feeling of progress.

What comes next remains open. Sometimes a single workshop is the right solution. Sometimes it is only the first step in a broader organizational transformation.

This cannot be decided at the beginning.

It emerges from what becomes visible in the first conversation.

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What You Can Expect from a Good Consultant

A meaningful initial conversation feels different from what many leaders expect.

A good consultant will ask how success is defined before explaining how they work. They will tolerate uncertainty and help you clarify what you actually want to achieve. They will not propose a solution before understanding the situation. And they will tell you what is realistically possible, not what you want to hear.

After the conversation, you will think differently about your situation. Not because a solution has been delivered, but because the right questions have been asked.

Even if it is uncomfortable, a good consultant will also ask about your own contribution to the current situation. What have you reinforced, intentionally or unintentionally? What are you willing to change yourself? And how serious are you about that change?

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References

— Schein, Edgar H. (2013): Humble Inquiry. The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

— Schein, Edgar H. (1999): Process Consultation Revisited. Building the Helping Relationship. Addison-Wesley.