ten hear significant statements, but I notice them because I’m listening for them. My brain is focused on gathering important information, and so I’m able to separate out the irrelevant stuff from the important things. Most people don’t listen that way on a day-to-day basis.

Then, after I’ve heard an important statement and verified it with others, I’ll figure out the best way to convey the statement to my client

You’ve all heard the old joke about a consultant being someone who uses your watch to tell you the time, and then steals your watch. There’s some truth to the story: consultant recommendations are often the same things that your employees or customers have been telling you all along. But while you will listen to a consultant, you don’t listen to your employees and customers. Why is that? Why do companies pay more attention to consultants then they do to employees or customers? And what should you do about it? But let’s start with an even more important question: why should you listen to employees and customers?

Why listen?
The best reason for listening to employees and customers is that they have a detailed understanding of your company's problems. They're close to day-to-day operations so they see what's happening and what's wrong. When you implement their ideas they’re committed to success because of their personal involvement. The result is a fast implementation of change, with a high probability of success.

So why don’t companies listen to employees and customers? Based on my own experience, here are the primary reasons why companies don’t take advantage of their hidden consultants:

No Clear Summarization
First, we don’t hear recommendations from employees and customers in a clear summarized way. We interact so much with these people that the recommendations aren’t separated out from everyday comments. A profound statement is dropped casually into a conversation on another subject, and we miss the importance of the statement.

When I'm working as a consultant doing interviews with employees and customers, I often hear significant statements, but I notice them because I’m listening for them. My brain is focused on gathering important information, and so I’m able to separate out the irrelevant stuff from the important things. Most people don’t listen that way on a day-to-day basis.

Then, after I’ve heard an important statement and verified it with others, I’ll figure out the best way to convey the statement to my client.

tion to consultants then they do to employees or customers? And what should you do about it? But let’s start with an even more important question: why should you listen to employees and customers?

Why listen?
The best reason for listening to employees and customers is that they have a detailed understanding of your company's problems. They're close to day-to-day operations so they see what's happening and what's wrong. When you implement their ideas they’re committed to success because of their personal involvement. The result is a fast implementation of change, with a high probability of success.

So why don’t companies listen to employees and customers? Based on my own experience, here are the primary reasons why companies don’t take advantage of their hidden consultants:

No Clear Summarization
First, we don’t hear recommendations from employees and customers in a clear summarized way. We interact so much with these people that the recommendations aren’t separated out from everyday comments. A profound statement is dropped casually into a conversation on another subject, and we miss the importance of the statement.

When I'm working as a consultant doing interviews with employees and customers, I often hear significant statements, but I notice them because I’m listening for them. My brain is focused on gathering important information, and so I’m able to separate out the irrelevant stuff from the important things. Most people don’t listen that way on a day-to-day basis.

Then, after I’ve heard an important statement and verified it with others, I’ll figure out the best way to convey the statement to my client

and what's wrong. When you implement their ideas they’re committed to success because of their personal involvement. The result is a fast implementation of change, with a high probability of success.

So why don’t companies listen to employees and customers? Based on my own experience, here are the primary reasons why companies don’t take advantage of their hidden consultants:

No Clear Summarization
First, we don’t hear recommendations from employees and customers in a clear summarized way. We interact so much with these people that the recommendations aren’t separated out from everyday comments. A profound statement is dropped casually into a conversation on another subject, and we miss the importance of the statement.

When I'm working as a consultant doing interviews with employees and customers, I often hear significant statements, but I notice them because I’m listening for them. My brain is focused on gathering important information, and so I’m able to separate out the irrelevant stuff from the important things. Most people don’t listen that way on a day-to-day basis.

Then, after I’ve heard an important statement and verified it with others, I’ll figure out the best way to convey the statement to my client

br> First, we don’t hear recommendations from employees and customers in a clear summarized way. We interact so much with these people that the recommendations aren’t separated out from everyday comments. A profound statement is dropped casually into a conversation on another subject, and we miss the importance of the statement.

When I'm working as a consultant doing interviews with employees and customers, I often hear significant statements, but I notice them because I’m listening for them. My brain is focused on gathering important information, and so I’m able to separate out the irrelevant stuff from the important things. Most people don’t listen that way on a day-to-day basis.

Then, after I’ve heard an important statement and verified it with others, I’ll figure out the best way to convey the statement to my client

ten hear significant statements, but I notice them because I’m listening for them. My brain is focused on gathering important information, and so I’m able to separate out the irrelevant stuff from the important things. Most people don’t listen that way on a day-to-day basis.

Then, after I’ve heard an important statement and verified it with others, I’ll figure out the best way to convey the statement to my client. Sometimes the issue with accepting a recommendation isn’t so much the recommendation itself; it’s how the recommendation is presented. Important truths have to be presented in a way that makes the client see the light without taking offense. Employees and customers don't often use appropriate summarization and presentation techniques, and so we reject their recommendations.

Bias
Second, we think employee and customer opinions are biased and therefore unreliable. We think they are trying to advance their own personal agendas. For example, an employee just wants to do that project because it would make his job bigger. Or a customer wants us to improve our service because she won’t take responsibility for problems in her own company. Sometimes personal bias will color an opinion, but we don’t take the time to sort out the motivations and get to the truth of the matter. Instead, we just tune out the employee and customer comments, throwing out valid suggestions because we think the source is biased.

Reluctance
Third, we have made it pretty clear to employees and customers that we don't want their advice, and as a result, they are reluctant to offer it. They see us criticize ideas and shoot them down, and they see us label idea creators as rabble-rousers and troublemakers. In such an unsupportive environment, they have determined that it’s best to keep their heads down and their ideas to themselves.

Other reasons
Here are some other reasons I’ve run across:

• Some managers don’t want to acknowledge that their own employees can be more knowledgeable about a subject than the managers are. The managers forge