The Dog Star: No Drooling
(The Dog Star is a symbol of power, will, and steadfastness of purpose, and exemplifies the One who has succeeded in bridging the lower and higher consciousness. – Astrological Definition)
When I head toward the master bedroom upstairs, the dogs arrive from wherever they are in the house. I hear their claws tapping out their direction on the wood floors as their speed picks up. Buddy Beagle will run ahead of me, trying to lead to the master bathroom, where the dog treat drawer is, and Koufax will actually engage is some herding maneuvers, which must represent distant racial memory. (If he came face-to-face with an actual sheep today, I’m sure his first move would be to fire up the grill.)
The dogs have mastered a process, just as they have for getting me into the truck to go for coffee and biscuits when I’m not working out. They recognize key signs and act in a prescribed fashion. They are successful more than not. In fact, A Rod would envy their batting averages.
Consultants need to tune in to similar indicators in the environment. For example, there’s the transference that takes place when people critique the boss because they’re really upset with themselves. There’s the turf battles that arise not because of personal animosity but because two senior people are setting the example (“us against them”). There is the projection that ensues when an employee doesn’t want to grant that someone else will be able to do something they haven’t.
Don’t reinvent the wheel. As your consulting career progresses, you should be quicker, more accurate, and more confident. There is actually a finite range of issues that confront an OD consultant (I maintain there are 11, but you know I just love to provoke people) and you should identify what evidence you’re immediately seeing in the environment of which ones.
The faster you help the client, the more valuable you are. A German Shepherd can herd a lot of sheep all my himself. Just don’t drool on the carpets.
© Alan Weiss 2010. All rights reserved.
