Self-awareness and the OD Consultant

This is a bit of a confession. I’m not proud of what I’ve written here, but feel the message is important.

A long, long time ago, when I became a consultant with University Associates, I met with Bill Pfeiffer and Steve Haines, the two leaders of the organization. They told me that even though I had over nine years of experience, I could not lead training or OD interventions until I had completed an additional two-year internship and had been mentored by Larry Porter. I also had to complete six months of counseling to help me become more self-aware.

I began the internship and mentoring with excitement, but I was a bit confused about the counseling. Why was that needed? Bill explained that as a consultant, clients would look to me for guidance and assistance. It would be highly unprofessional to engage in that work without understanding how my personal beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes could affect my work and consequently my effectiveness with clients.

I’m “old school.” I began my work in OD over 45 years ago. I was influenced by the thought leaders who founded the profession. In addition to attending many workshops in OD and HRD through University Associates, I experienced T-groups, attended Tavistock Institute’s Group Relations Conferences, and workshops conducted by National Training Labs. Larry Porter, my mentor and coach, was a key contributor to the profession and played a key role in the development of the OD Network. He instilled the philosophical underpinnings of the profession in me. The more I learned about the work and its philosophical underpinnings, the more I appreciated learning about how my thinking affected my work.

Not too long ago, a junior colleague and I were working with a client. We met during breaks with the client and at the end of each day on-site. During a particularly long debrief, my colleague confided that I had been deferring to the client’s senior staff and minimizing contributions from its junior members. I was surprised. That was not a good thing to do. But, when my colleague provided examples, I realized my errors. Fortunately, my actions did not detract from our work and the client was very satisfied with the results. Even so, I was distraught.

This caused me to think back on what I’ve done in the past. Had my effectiveness been lessened because I was unaware of my biases? Discussions with other staff and colleagues confirmed my suspicions. I had demonstrated biases. They were supportive and noted that the interventions had been successful and well-received. However, I am disappointed.

I am not writing this post to beat up myself but as a lesson to others who may be unconsciously doing the same thing. The unconscious is a powerful force. And, as much as possible, we should all strive to be more aware of how our beliefs, attitudes, and experiences may inappropriately influence our decisions. It’s a fine line to walk. Our experience and expertise are what grant us credibility and opportunities to help clients. However, we cannot let them override what exists or exclude contrary opinions or beliefs. We must be open to hearing and weighing all input, considering how situations and conditions are different, and listen to all voices as we make decisions.

I’m old, nearing 80, and have been doing this work for well over half my lifetime. I am a bit set in my ways. I’m confident in my knowledge and abilities. But those are not reasons to overlook the core principles of our profession. I am thankful for my team. They have the courage to speak up and tell me what they see, directly, honestly, and with compassion. I hope you have colleagues who can look at what you’re doing and make sure you are open and strive to be more self-aware.

Wishing you every success.

Alan Landers

Director, Landers Consulting Group