Based on Peter Block’s renowned book “Flawless Consulting®”
In the world of consulting, contracting is often misunderstood. Too many see it as a formality, a simple checklist to get the ball rolling. But in Flawless Consulting®, contracting is the very heart of the relationship. It’s not just about what we’re doing, it’s about how we’re doing it, together.
At Effiqual | Designed Learning Canada, we teach contracting not as a transaction, but as a transformational act. It’s the foundation for a partnership grounded in trust, shared responsibility, and mutual influence. It is the first and most critical phase of the consulting process. When done with intention, clarity, and care, contracting sets the stage for everything that follows in a consulting engagement.
Whether you’re a leader practicing consultative influence or an internal or external consultant guiding change, understanding the art of contracting is essential. Here’s why, and how to do it flawlessly.
What is Contracting?
In the Flawless Consulting® model, contracting is the process of coming to agreement on two key elements:
- What we are doing together (the technical/business content)
- How we are doing it together (the relationship/process side)
This isn’t just a procedural step. It’s a moment of co-creation, where consultant and client begin to forge a real partnership. Through contracting, both parties clarify expectations, surface assumptions, and create the emotional and intellectual space for honest collaboration.
This process is especially vital in a systems thinking approach. In systems, everything is interconnected, and so are the people. Contracting becomes the gateway for surfacing the invisible forces at play: power dynamics, unspoken tensions, cultural narratives, and more.
The First Step: Personal Acknowledgment
Contracting begins the moment we establish first contact with a client. In Flawless Consulting®, this is known as personal acknowledgment, and it’s more powerful than it sounds.
Personal acknowledgment means connecting as humans before diving into business. Of course, we ask the usual: How are you? How’s your day? But what makes this step unique, and transformative, is what only you can offer: how you genuinely feel in that moment with that client.
You might say:
- “I’m a little nervous, but excited to work together.”
- “I’m grateful for this opportunity. It means a lot.”
- “I feel energized about this conversation.”
By revealing your own emotional state, you model authenticity and vulnerability. You signal to the client: I trust you. And in doing so, you invite them to trust you in return. This subtle but profound gesture is the first step in building a true partnership, one that balances courage with care.
The Power of the Here and Now
Contracting isn’t about projecting a perfect image or hiding behind professionalism. It’s about being present, fully present, in the here and now.
This presence invites clarity. When we are truly in the moment with our client, we can tune into what’s really happening, not just the surface-level problem, but the deeper relational dynamics at play. We can listen both to the logic and to the emotion. To the words, and to what’s behind them.
At Effiqual | Designed Learning Canada, we refer to this as active, empathic listening:
- Active listening: tracking the content, the facts, needs, and requests being made
- Empathic listening: sensing the emotional tone, the hopes, frustrations, concerns, and uncertainties beneath the surface
This way of listening creates space for both heart and mind. It reminds the client: You are seen. You are heard. And it equips the consultant to respond with clarity and compassion.
The Skill of Stating Wants
After personal acknowledgment and empathic listening comes one of the most critical parts of contracting: negotiating wants.
Too often, consultants slip into the role of servant, responding only to the client’s requests without voicing their own. But Flawless Consulting® invites us to recognize that we, too, have wants. Not in opposition to the client’s, but in service of the work.
Maybe you want:
- Clear access to key stakeholders
- A safe space for feedback and iteration
- Agreement on timelines and expectations
- Commitment to a co-learning environment
By stating your wants, you don’t challenge the client’s authority. You clarify the conditions for success. You say: This is what I want in order to serve you well. And in doing so, you model a healthy, balanced relationship, one where both sides contribute, and both sides own the process.
This is especially vital in systems work. If change is to be sustainable, both parties must have skin in the game. Negotiating wants anchors the partnership in mutual accountability and shared ownership.
Contracting as a Mirror of the Future
One of the most beautiful aspects of Flawless Consulting® is that contracting models the very relationship you hope to sustain throughout the engagement.
From the very first conversation, you are:
- Practicing honesty
- Inviting collaboration
- Acknowledging emotion
- Clarifying boundaries
- Building trust
This isn’t just about method, it’s about alignment of values. It’s about saying: We will work together with integrity, clarity, and care, and that starts now.
Why Contracting Matters More Than Ever
In a world of hybrid work, high-speed change, and mounting uncertainty, how we show up matters as much as what we know. Contracting is the space where we align intentions, check assumptions, and build a shared path forward.
It’s not a formality. It’s a strategic move. It’s not about power. It’s about partnership. And it’s not the beginning of the work; it is the work.
Whether you’re an internal leader trying to guide a team or an internal or external consultant supporting an organization, learning how to contract well is essential. It’s what allows influence to grow without taking control. It’s what keeps accountability clear. And it’s what ensures that trust is built, not assumed.
Ready to Transform the Way You Contract?
Join our Flawless Consulting® workshops to explore these principles in action. Learn how to turn every first meeting into a foundation for lasting, values-driven change.
Together, we’ll practice the art of presence, the courage of honesty, and the strength of saying what we truly want, and what we can offer in return.
Because at the end of the day, contracting isn’t just a skill. It’s an act of trust.
