When to Stay and When to Leave

 
Whenever I think about contacting for work with a new client, somewhere in the back of my head I hear Kenny Rogers signing to me (I am dating myself) but his sage advice stills echos strong within me and reminds me that sometimes clients want something more that I can deliver. In Kenny’s words
“You’ve got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run”

Every serious mistake I have ever made with a client I can trace back to a contracting mistake – every single one.

Here are some real examples I have faced:

A client wants me to reduce my price, wants me to work harder than he is willing to, or wants more without being willing to ante up their share (Know when to hold ‘em).

A client refuses to give me access to the people I need to see, the time I need to do this right or make the resources I need available to me (Know when to fold ‘em).

A client wants more than I can deliver, want’s it sooner than I can deliver or wants something different from what I can deliver (Know when to walk away).

A client wants to use my work to advance their own private agenda of firing someone in the name of team development (know when to run).

A great resource for all of us on the nature of Contracting is Peter’s Blocks book: Flawless Consulting. Read the section on contracting. Play Kenny’s song “The Gambler, and then re-read Peter’s section on Contracting. In our work, contracting is where we need to be impeccable. This is where we add the greatest value and it is also where we can get into the deepest trouble. Be careful out there.

One final piece of advice: You can always re-contract!