An astute student of behaviour will observe that clients “engage” a professional after being “engaged” by that professional.
The full meaning of engagement goes way beyond the narrow idea of a contract to provide services.
While “engagement” is the name preferred in some professional service segments, in most spheres, terms like retainer, brief, mandate, costs agreement, services contract, and others are in use.
Too often, these disguise what is pivotal to quality relationships between professional experts and their clients.
Engagement is a multi-faceted concept.
- Enthusiasm, quality dialogue, interest, anticipation of valuable exchange is implied by the term. “I want you to help” and “I’m keen to be there for you and do this with you” characterise the two sides.
- Confidence, trust, and good communication collocates with being engaged. “I know you can help me through this” and “I’ll do my best to protect and advance your interests” would fit.
- Cooperative work and a collaborative teamwork dynamic goes with engagement. “I’ll do my part and make it easy for you” and “I’ll work with you to get it right for you” are hallmarks.
- When true engagement is lost, the services contract eventually follows. Often, rapid conclusion would be preferable to lingering disengagement and ultimate souring of relationships.
- Engagement carries with it accountability to keep relationships fresh, enthusiastic, alive, and “engaged”. Surely the way professionals - and their clients - would prefer to spend their working lives.
There is much to commend both the concept and term “engagement”.
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