Hi John,

If you’ve ever been afraid to speak up for your own rights and interests, you’re human. If you can learn to embrace the risk of doing so, you’ll grow as a person.

Today’s Q&A addresses this challenge as it relates to working with clients, but where else could these skills apply? Tell us in the comments section.
How to Set and Hold Boundaries with Clients
by Joseph Grenny

I am a consultant and I frequently have clients who try to get more from me than originally agreed upon in a statement of work. This is always difficult to navigate, and I’m not sure how to do so without having problems so I usually just step up and do the work—but at a cost to myself. How can I resolve these situations?

Signed,
Scope Creep

There are two simple fixes to what you’re experiencing. They are simple, but not easy.

First, create a poignant “expectations” event at the beginning of every project. It’s easier to say no before they ask for extras than after. That “before” time is when you start a new project. I’m guessing you already do some version of this. At the beginning of a new project, you should explain to the client that “I promise not to ask you for extra money beyond what we’ve agreed. I also expect you not to ask me for extra work that isn’t paid.” If you’re already doing this, I suggest you take extra steps to ensure it is a punctuated moment, not just a ceremonial mumble.
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Without the approval of our fellow humans we cannot be happy—but we can never enjoy approval, intimacy, love or applause without taking the risk of being free from such craven desires.
 
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