The Barnes & Conti Resource Library
Internal Consulting

Excerpt: “An internal consultant depends upon influence skills and savvy. A consultant can never say, “Do this or else!” A consultant uses expertise, influence and personal skills to facilitate change.

ICs often come to their roles from various disciplines/roles with little guidance or relevant experience, and soon find that success requires more than technical expertise, academic training, or managerial skills. The key success factor is the ability to influence clients, managers and key stakeholders.....”

Excerpt: “Consultants are in the business of change, and change requires action. The internal consultant, like any agent of change, has to communicate effectively. Still, basic communication—moving information from one mind to another—isn’t enough. During a consulting process, many people must be influenced to take action, not simply to offer or accept information.

An internal consultant, regardless of his or her area of expertise, depends upon influence skills and organizational savvy in order to be effective. All consultants, whether internal or external, rely on expertise, influence, and personal skills to facilitate client-requested changes without having the formal authority to implement those changes alone.....”

Excerpt: “Feedback, even when requested, may come as a surprise to the person who asked for it. If he/she is expecting confirmation of his or her decisions, plans, leadership style or practices, or interpersonal behavior, and the feedback is negative, cognitive dissonance may occur. Bad news is bad in direct proportion to the way it compares to a person’s expectations. The person believes one thing to be true and is faced with information that contradicts a belief—one that may be strongly held and that may be based on his or her self-image and/or value set....”