The document provides guidance on developing consultative skills for HR professionals. It discusses the importance of becoming a trusted advisor by focusing on listening strategically, asking the right questions, and facilitating problem solving for clients. The document recommends using a facilitative consulting model that focuses on understanding a client's goals, key issues, and needs in order to help them achieve their objectives. It also emphasizes defining and structuring problems, generating multiple options, and selecting the best solution through techniques like brainstorming and challenging assumptions. The overall message is that HR professionals must move beyond simply providing answers, and instead act as a strategic partner to clients by applying consultative skills.

1. Consultative Skills for
HR Professionals
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2. ACTIVITY - Fast Networking……
 Q1: What makes a great internal / external HR consultant?
 Q2: What do your organizational leaders respect about
internal / external HR consultants?
 Q3: What do your organizational leaders HATE about
internal / external HR consultants?
 Q4: How can HR professionals up their game in internal
consulting?
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3. OK, now before we start…..
What will make this session most
successful for you?
What do you want to achieve here today?
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4. Agenda
 The HR Transformation
 The HR Partner as “Trusted Advisor”
 Facilitative Consulting
 Problem Structuring and Solving
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5. Have you heard this before?
 HR doesn’t have a seat at the table?
 We should just outsource the whole function?
 HR is G&A overhead
 Oh no, another HR Program!!
 Just fill out the form and get it done.
 Don’t involve HR, they just slow things down.
 HR always says NO!!
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6.  Basic HR responsibilities are being automated outsourced
or off-shored.
 Web technology, low-cost centers, and outsourced
service centers.
 Companies are searching for efficiency.
 WE MUST CHANGE!!!
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What’s Going On Out There??

7. 7
Base-lining Your Positioning
The Talent Management
Maturity Model

8. 8
Where are you??
Maturity Stage Organizational Support Conditions Talent Management Utilization Talent Management Activities
Stage 4: Leadership: Full ownership and
accountability at all organizational levels
Metrics: Value-based metrics & ROI Focus: Business Impact
Maturity Alignment: Aligned with business strategy,
goals and objectives reinforced by
compensation
Uses: Integral to business strategy and
execution
Components: Complete suite of Talent
Management Components
Infrastructure: Integrated with enterprise
IT systems and extensive support resources
including funding
Adoption: Enterprise wide Integration: Seamless with business
execution
Stage 3: Leadership: HR, Executive Sponsor, Some
deeper organization levels
Metrics: Activity, Commitment, Results Focus: TM Results
Professionalism Alignment: Aligned with business strategy,
customized to fit business needs
Uses: Full range of purposes including,
planning, forecasting, business execution,
strategy support
Components: Most standard TM
components
Infrastructure: Set of IT systems or
Separate TM system, appropriate level of
support resources
Adoption: Most business units, elements Integration: Activities are connected and
integration with business execution has
started
Stage 2: Leadership: HR, Some Executive
Sponsorship, multiple pieces of
organization
Metrics: Activity, Commitment Focus: TM Development (developing new
TM components)
Expansion Alignment: Aligned with pieces of
business strategy or with units of business
Uses: Multiple purposes Components: Multiple components
Infrastructure: Some IT stand alone
applications, some support resources
Adoption: Some business units, elements Integration: Mostly stand alone activities,
maybe some activities connected
Stage 1: Leadership: HR, Program Owner Metrics: primarily activity based Focus: TM Activity Delivery
New Venture Alignment: Little alignment, may be stock
program activity
Uses: Single purpose Components: Single of a few components
Infrastructure: No or little IT, program
support resources only
Adoption: Program Participants Integration: Little or no integration, likely
a stand alone activity

9. 9
Human Resources are
Corporate Assets

10. 10
Every Asset Must Produce a Positive
Return for the Enterprise

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For example, a company has an
EBITDA target of 25% for a given
fiscal year.

12. 12
Each person then, to contribute to
this target, must produce at least
25% return over their loaded salary
and associated overhead.

13. 13
HR’s Role is to Manage this Return
On Investment Process!!

14. The HR Partner as the
“Trusted Advisor”
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15. 15

16. “Customers attach value to products in
proportion to the perceived ability of those
products to help solve their problems. Hence a
product has meaning only from the viewpoint
of the buyer. Only the buyer or user can assign
value, because value can only reside in the
benefits he wants or perceives.”
- Theodore Levitt, The Marketing Imagination
A Thought….
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17. 17

18. Credibility (C) + Reliability (R) + Intimacy (I)
T = Self-Focus (SF)
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The Trust Equation

19. 19
ACTIVITY
The Trust Equation
 Map out your current trust equation with your key
client(s).
 Scale is 1-10 with 1 being lowest and 10 being
highest.
 Example:
T = C (7) + R (8) + I (5) / SF (5) = 4

20. Becoming a Trusted Advisor by Reducing
Self-Focus Requires Listening
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21. Trusted Advisor:
Asking the Right Questions
S ituation (the facts)
Motivation (the underlying motivators)
I mplication (what if?)
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22. Bad Questioning Habits
Avoid asking an open question, then closing it by providing
options.
 Avoid asking a question, pausing, then rephrasing it.
 Avoid multiple questions.
 Avoid questions that imply disapproval.
 Avoid using questions as statements
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23. ACTIVITY
Asking the Right Questions
 Ask the volunteer about his / her hobby?
 Group 1 uses only Situation Questions
 Group 2 uses only Motivation Questions
 Group 3 uses only Implication Questions
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24. Becoming a Trusted Advisor –
Listening Strategically
 Subordinate your agenda.
 Attend to the other.
 Encourage with prompting statements.
Listen for feelings, emphasis, and
omissions.
 Clarify, summarize, and paraphrase.
You can’t listen with your mouth
open!
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25. Focusing on the Bottom Line
Facilitative Consulting
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26. Facilitative Consulting Model
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27. Facilitative Consulting Model
“What do you want to achieve?”
“What is it
worth to you?”
“What are your key
issues or concerns?”
“What do you
need to
achieve your
goals?”
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28. Two Funerals and a Wedding
The Customer is
Always Right
“Trust us. We’re
the experts.”
Funeral
Funeral
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29. Linking Goals, Issues,
Features, Benefits, and Proofs
Benefits Add Up to Goal Attainment
Answer: “So what?”
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30. Becoming a Trusted Advisor –
Listening Strategically
Do not offer solutions too early…..
 Ask the “So What”?
 Dig for the real need
 Don’t be satisfied with the superficial
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31. Problem Structuring &
Problem Solving
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32. Problem Solving:
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Define and
Structure
Generate
Options
Pick Best
Solution

33. The Problem can never be the absence of a solution.
 For example: “we need to improve the Performance
Management System”
 Or: “we need to do diversity training”
WHY??
Ask Why 5 Times…..
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Problem Solving: Define & Structure the Problem

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“Satisficing”
The human behavior trend to accept the
first solution that will work, rather than
pushing to the optimal solution.

35. Creating a Mindset for Problem Solving
• What does this image say?
• What do you see?
• Which line is longer, AB or CD?A B C D
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36. Pushing for Insight
• How can you remove
three matches to
leave four?
• How can you connect
all nine circles by drawing
only three straight lines
without lifting your pen?
Figures from “Thinkertoys” by Michael Michalko. © Copyright 1991 by Ten Speed Press.
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37. Answer
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38. Brainstorming
Brain - writing
Carousel brainstorming
Simulation
Analogy
Role Play
Challenging Assumptions
Problem Re-Statement
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Problem Solving: Generate Options

39. 39
Issue Weight
Solution A /
internally led sales
development
program
Solution A
Score
Solution B Score
/ Outsource to
Learning
Partner
Solution B
Score
Solution C /
eLearning
Solution Solution C Score
Quality of Program 9 6 54 10 90 4 36
Speed of implementation 7 9 63 7 49 4 28
Ability to measure impact 8 7 56 8 64 8 64
Cost 8 10 80 5 40 8 64
TOTAL SCORE 253 243 192
Problem Solving: Pick Best Solution

40. What Are Your Key
Take-Aways?
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41. Thank You!!
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