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COMPETENCY #3—PERSONAL MOTIVATION 135

troduction. With that in mind, I created a mock workshop on PowerPoint
and presented it to the department head.

Result: After my presentation, the company instituted a full-scale new-

hire introduction program. An unexpected benefit of this plan was that turnover
within the first three months of employment was reduced by 30 percent.

Question 128. Describe a time when you prepared for an obstacle in

order to prevent it.

Obstacle: Being a consultant is a double-edged sword. Management

brings me in because there are business problems that need solving, but at
the same time most of them are reluctant to take the recommendations be-
cause of a fear of change, preferring to see only negatives. When Torres,
Morales, and Rodriquez Law Offices brought me in to revitalize their organi-
zation, I wanted to avoid the resistance that previous clients had demonstrated
to any new ideas.

Action: I conducted thorough client-needs assessments that asked

management to reflect on changes made in the past that were unsuccess-
ful. This approach not only gave me valuable information about the corpo-
rate culture but also gently prodded management to seriously consider my
recommendations.

When I presented a new idea, I asked the attorneys for only one thing: to
love the idea for fifteen minutes; during that time we discussed only the pos-
itives of the plan.

Result: This fifteen-minute rule kept clients’ minds open enough to see

the idea’s advantages, and ultimately the firm agreed to implement the ma-
jority of my recommendations.

Question 129. Describe a time when you were unable to meet man-

agement expectations. What did you do about it?

Obstacle: I was assigned to implement a smoking cessation program

at work. After putting together a comprehensive, facilitated program, I
showed it to my manager. He didn’t think the program would attract enough
employees, and expressed interest in offering monetary incentives instead.

Action: I researched case studies and found that monetary incentives

increase enrollment in such programs. I showed the results to my manager,
and we agreed to move ahead with an incentive-based program.

American Management Association
www.amanet.org