People Don’t Pay Attention to the Snow Globe Until You Shake It
Client-Consultant relationships don’t usually fail with one bad meeting or missed deadline. They drift.
What begins as an easy rhythm of collaboration can quietly become routine. The conversations grow shorter, assumptions grow broader, and before long, both sides are taking each other for granted.
At Docent, we see this pattern often. The energy that once fueled a productive, trusting partnership settles—like snow in a globe—until something or someone shakes it.
When the Client Stops Paying Attention
From the client’s side, drift often begins with a subtle sense that the consultant is “just going through the motions.” Deliverables start to feel familiar. Fresh thinking fades. The consultant stops asking the deeper questions that challenge assumptions or bring new perspective.
At the same time, scope discussions get murky. The client wonders whether value is still being delivered for the investment being made—but avoids saying so directly. It’s easier to let small frustrations sit than to open a difficult conversation.
Eventually, something forces the issue: a budget review, a new CHRO, a missed deliverable, or a competitor’s pitch. Suddenly, the snow globe shakes. But when that shake comes from outside—rather than through open, proactive dialogue—it’s usually disruptive, not productive.
When the Consultant Stops Paying Attention
Consultants fall into the same trap. After months or years of steady partnership, it’s tempting to assume you know what the client wants—or that no news is good news. But what once was collaboration can quietly turn into repetition.
Scope begins to drift without acknowledgment. The consultant feels stretched, sensing the client is expecting “just a little more” without added compensation or clarity. Instead of addressing it, the consultant keeps delivering—until fatigue or resentment sets in.
When that happens, the consultant’s curiosity and creative edge dull. The relationship starts to feel more contractual than collaborative. And when the inevitable shake comes, it’s often too late to reestablish trust.
The Shared Challenge: Having the Smart, Direct Conversation
The truth is, most people don’t like having difficult conversations—on either side. It’s uncomfortable to raise questions about value, effort, or scope. But the longer you wait, the more tension builds beneath the surface.
The best partnerships shake the snow globe intentionally. They don’t wait for a crisis or a leadership change to reset. They pause, talk, and realign:
Are we still delivering the right value for the effort and cost?
Has the project evolved in ways we haven’t acknowledged?
Do we still challenge each other—or are we coasting?
Shaking the snow globe doesn’t mean starting over. It means choosing to make things swirl before they settle too long.
The Doldrums vs. Renewal
When neither party shakes the globe, relationships slip into the doldrums—steady but stagnant. When either side chooses to shake it—through a smart, direct discussion—the air clears. Priorities reset. Scope aligns. Trust rebuilds.
It’s uncomfortable at first, but that shake is what makes the partnership stronger.
Because if you don’t shake the snow globe, it will shake you—usually at the wrong time, and for the wrong reasons.
The Docent Perspective
At Docent, we help clients and consultants recognize when the snow has started to settle.
We believe in creating space for honest, forward-looking dialogue—so that both sides can reset expectations and renew the sense of purpose that defines great work.
Our process is designed around chemistry + insight = value.
Chemistry builds trust.
Insight brings clarity.
Together, they keep relationships in motion—before the snow globe needs shaking.