Outsider Advantage/Outside Threat

Professional service firms often carry the outside advantage, as an authority from the outside. But sometimes people on the inside can feel threatened by that advantage. In this post, Dean talks about what he does to defuse the possibility of threat so he can bring his full value safely.

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Outsider Advantage Outsider threat when you come in from the outside like Consultants often to Professional Service people come in and they bring value they bring their skill and their expertise and their knowledge and hopefully their hot shots but they also create an experience of threat depending on who you’re working with so when I get brought into places there’s other people that intersect with my work what if I make them look bad what if I outshine them what if I unknowingly step upon something they’ve said I tell you how to do something when they’ve already told you to do it differently what if I undermine or accidentally argue with or what if I counter something they’re trying to put in place you don’t want to be a threat when you’re coming and try trying to help so there’s a couple things I do that remedy that situation so that I can be Outsider advantaged without being The Outsider threat what I do is simple the first thing I do is I bring warmth I care I appreciate I come in as a positive force so that they see that I care about them and caring is only caring if you actually care so I care and I bring the warm vibe to make that caring show the second thing I do is I take people aside when I can I find private conversations so I can learn about them find out what they care about what initiatives are they doing where do they intersect with my work so that I know that I’m reinforcing them making them look good and and continuing and not stepping on the things that they are putting in place and thirdly I publicly recognize them every chance I get I say oh wow I love that you’re applying that skill set here that’s going to be really helpful oh that’s a a wonderful contribution it’s we’re lucky we have your skill set if we’re doing that public recognition then we’re showing the team that the caring is real that we’re interested in collaborating and we’re here to work together and that way those three things warm Vibe learning about the people and publicly recognizing them that can take the threat away so that you can bring your Outsider advantage

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