Treat your clients like dogs?

Patti Digh at 37 Days shares some lessons she learned about communicating with others from the Animal Planet show Who Gets the Dog? — a show where contestants compete to adopt a dog.  The episode she watched pitted three groups of contestants against one another as they were each assigned a “trick” to teach Rocky, the dog in question.  Patti’s entire post is worth a read, but I thought I’d excerpt some of her lessons:

2) There often needs to be a “treat” associated with learning a new trick: a tidbit, some praise, a clear reason, or (to use the happy vernacular of management consultants worldwide) a “business case” for doing what we’re asking Rocky to do. Rocky’s business case clearly revolves around liver treats.

3) I have to motivate Rocky with what matters to him (the liver treats of #2), not what matters to me (Hefeweisen, Joan Armatrading, those truffles).

5) We need to celebrate success more than we do. Whip out those liver treats and pig ears, let’s party!

7) It takes time to teach new tricks to a dog. A lot of dedicated, focused, engaged, consistent, and individualized time. Enough said.

8) We all make meaning in different ways.

10) Rocky learned best from the group of three goofy guys who got down on the floor and rolled around with him like a dog, shedding their human superiority; they honestly enjoyed him for who he is now, not who they wanted him to be. They went where he was.

Read the last tip again.  Your clients will learn the most from you when you shed your legal superiority and appreciate your clients for who they are, not who you want them to be.