Powerful Professionals: Getting Your Expertise Used Inside Your Organization [Paperback]

Murray Hiebert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 1999

A practical, 'how-to' manual, suitable for constant use in almost any problem a professional can run into, this book addresses the dramatic shift in the role of professionals working inside organizations. We present a modern model to revolutionize professionals' view of themselves and their way of working. To get into a more powerful frame of mind, we encourage professionals and professional groups to think of themselves as an internal consulting business, offering skills and services inside their organization. This entails re-evaluating themselves-thinking of themselves as internal consultants delivering their expertise to internal customers or clients. Used effectively, the skills and models of this book will ensure professionals get their expertise used and valued within their organizations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Powerful Professionals has equipped many of the innovators at 3M Company to optimize the results of the businesses they support. Our R&D, manufacturing and engineering professionals have learned value-adding influence skills. The notion of relationship building as equally important to one's subject-matter expertise was particularly enlightening. Even when an organization reengineers itself, and staff functions may be decimated, the departments and the individuals who have delighted their internal clients are the ones who thrive in the refocused enterprise. Later, when workloads increase to the breaking point, the prioritization/selection tools in Chapter 13 have prevented many a serious burn out." -- Frank Berdan, P.E. 3M Company Manufacturing Strategy Manager

"Dog-eared, coffee-stained and much-loaned. What a high commendation for any book like this. Nothing short of the best reference manual for professionals applying consulting skills inside their own organizations or any other. Guaranteed to be a timeless resource on your bookshelf." -- Brenda Spilker Suncor Energy Inc. Human Resources

"For me, this is the most valuable and personally useful single source on how to take those extra steps from expertise and knowledge to deploying them within your organization. What makes Powerful Professionals stand out from the many other books dealing with these issues, is that Hiebert takes the extra step from the 'what to do' to 'how to do' and backs this up with an enormous amount of supporting information. Of course, there are similarities between internal consultancy and consultancy from outside an organization, and Powerful Professionals will be of value to you in either role." -- Graeme Dick Environmental Science & Research Ltd, New Zealand Project Manager

"Guaranteed to help you think about your work differently. A rich resource. Years of experience and work went into this book and you are the beneficiary." -- Geoff Bellman, Consultant and author of The Consultant's Calling and Getting tThings Done When You Are Not In Charge

"Murray Hiebert has taught me more about consulting and managing professionals than anyone else. Read this book." -- Norman Smallwood Co-founder, Novations Group Inc Co-author of Real-Time Strategy and upcoming Results Based Leadership

"My workteam has utilized the tools and insights offered in Powerful Professionals for the last several years. (We took Murray Hiebert's consulting skills course.) I have no doubt that these practical skills have helped us improve our quality, customer understanding of what we do, and increased requests for further services. I recommend this book to any group looking to improve customer satisfaction as well as differentiate their services from external consulting organizations." -- Duane Kortsha Amoco Environmental, Health & Safety

"No consultant should go on any assignment without this book by Murray Hiebert. It may save your life and that of your client." -- AC Ho Consultant Singapore

"This is a book for ALL professionals who want to become more influential." -- Bob Ratay Avery Dennison Director, Logistics Consulting

"We have have successfully trained over 600 people in our organization using the skills outlined in Murray Hiebert's Consulting Skills Program. Our Education Solutions department has received overwhelming positive feedback and support for this consulting approach from our consultants as well as Senior Management. This consulting model provides a simple, yet profound approach to the customer/consultant relationship. Initially, we customized this program to the consultants that worked with our external healthcare customers, yet due to it's word-of-mouth success, we receive numerous requests from our internal departments as well. The consulting model, tools/techniques and processes are an excellent addition to anyone that provides consulting services." -- Sheila Diggs SMS - Shared Medical Systems - Education Solutions

From the Publisher

Growing in size and importance, the large target group of buyers for this book is presently estimated at over 14 million in the USA alone. These white collar professional experts working inside organizations are described as 'knowledge workers'-key to the competitiveness of North American organizations. There is presently very little written in this field, that is, books specifically for professionals: engineers, systems analysts, public affairs advisors, scientists, etc. on how to deliver expertise inside and outside their organization.

This book is to professionals what management books are to managers. Its field-tested advice is couched firmly in the following practical, five-stage model, supporting the modern role of a professional inside an organization:
1. Exploring the Need
2. Clarifying Commitments
3. Gathering Data
4. Recommending Change
5. Taking Stock/Closing

We feel that the philosophy, proven methods, models and ideas in this book are presented to the target audience in a language and a format they understand, respecting and honoring the years these professionals spent acquiring high levels of expertise. While acknowledging all of this, the authors recognize that many areas necessary to survival in a modern organization have not even been addressed in their professional training: areas such as having their professional skills effectively used, marketing, selling ideas, addressing the bottom line and dealing with multiple stakeholders. This book is a comprehensive reference for professionals wishing to do all of this, and more: determining their own strategy, aligning their values with their worklife, and career tracking.

This book is designed as a continual desktop reference-full of checklists, real-life examples, assessments, models, and worksheets-for day-to-day reference.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Recursion Press (January 25, 1999)
• ISBN-10: 096845500X
• ISBN-13: 978-0968455005
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,040,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Manual for Internal Consultants, June 1, 2000

By 

Patrick Cordon (Berea , Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Powerful Professionals: Getting Your Expertise Used Inside Your Organization (Paperback)

I highly recommend the book! This book is a strong experienced based program that guides you through the Consulting Process. The tools are ready to use; I really enjoy that. I put this book on the same level as "Operational Profitability;Conducting Management Audits." John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have, May 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Powerful Professionals: Getting Your Expertise Used Inside Your Organization (Paperback)

Powerful Professionals is well designed for the specific needs of internal consultants. I enjoyed the book thoroughly. It's easy-to-use, providing lots of partical tools and advice. Organized into a user-friendly handbook, it covers everything from establishing your credibility to managing change and resistance.

Written with a healthy does of humor, there are plenty of practical, step-by-step models supported by checklists, worksheets, assessment tools, and examples--rather than long- winded discussions on theory.

I STRONGLY recommend this book for anyone dealing with the day-to-day challenges of an internal consulting organization.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful! - this book is a 'must have' for any professional, February 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Powerful Professionals: Getting Your Expertise Used Inside Your Organization (Paperback)

There has been a glut of books on 'how to be a consultant' that have been published in the last few years. I have become frustrated with the increasing quantity and decreasing quality of such books. All that changed with my reading of "Powerful Professionals". Finally, a superb book! "Powerful Professionals" is grounded in experience that I can relate to, and offered excellent, immediately useable advice for me as a professional. I also liked the easy-to-follow formatting and mix of text and graphics. There is also the behind-the-scenes theory for us who like such stuff. Chapter 15 of the book is "Putting It All Together". Well, the author and editor certainly have put together an all-encompassing and all-powerful book for all professionals. Bravo! Books of this quality are not often found by me. But when I do find a high-utility book like "Powerful Professionals", it becomes a jewel in my collection.