Critical Friends: An Effective Guide - wiki Critical Friends: An Effective Practice Guide / Key skills, experience and attributes
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Key skills, experience and attributes

Experience and qualifications

  • The critical friend should be an experienced professional in the same or a closely related area to the one in which the project or process takes place. Critical friends are often ‘all-rounders’ who can relate to experience in a range of areas within their field, although in some cases, it may be more appropriate to appoint a critical friend with a very particular (often technical) expertise.
  • The critical friend should have experience of working as a project leader for similar projects and should have experience of being a ‘user’ of the type of outcomes the project or process aims to achieve. Ideally the critical friend has commissioned or led similar projects in the past themselves. Such experience allows the critical friend to advise the project on the interests of all the different stakeholders and the way their expectations can be managed.
  • The critical friend should have substantial experience of techniques commonly used in activities such as evaluation, consultancy, mentoring and management.
  • The critical friend should have, through current or recent experience, a sound understanding of the organisational and/or political context of the project. This will enable them to advise on ways of ensuring effective embedding of project outcomes in mainstream or other relevant contextual aspects.
  • The critical friend should have an extensive network of contacts that may be relevant to the project. They should also be up-to-date with national and, where appropriate, international initiatives and organisations that might benefit the project. Ideally they will also have knowledge of and experience of bidding for funding so that they are able to advise the project team on how to keep the project going if desired.
  • The critical friend will not be personally or professionally involved with any aspect of the project or process to which they are appointed. This avoids any conflict of interest or any concerns about possible political motivation.

 

Skills and personal attributes

  • The critical friend should have exceptional communication skills and in particular should be able to communicate negative feedback in a constructive way, which is focused on finding a solution but not prescriptive.
  • The critical friend should have an analytical mind and should be able to see through complex situations with ease, keeping a professional and non-judgemental distance at all times. They should be able to underpin their observations with clear examples and sound reasoning, and should be able to convince project members of their ability to deal with complexities and challenges as and when they occur.
  • The critical friend should be able to present a professional and personal profile that instils confidence in their independence, reliability, maturity and their interest in the success and expectations of others.
  • The critical friend should have a track record of developing and supporting individual colleagues through mentoring, teaching, facilitating or managerial relationships towards professional independence and maturity.
  • Although they may be a natural leader themselves in other roles, the critical friend should be comfortable taking on a reactive, supporting role for the project, concentrating on observation, advice and reflection rather than direct involvement, decision-making or acting within the project.
  • Usually critical friends should be self-aware, reflective individuals, able to describe their own professional low points with humour and a learning oriented commentary, and their professional successes with reference to contributions of others, awareness of contextual factors and accuracy regarding their own contributions. They should be content to take similar approaches when working with others, and would be unlikely to enter into competitive comparisons.
  • The critical friend should be able to stay calm and in control in complex or heated situations, and would not employ a defensive or aggressive attitude when dealing with problems of unprofessional or political behaviour.
  • Critical friends should be able to juggle different political and professional interests at the same time through their outstanding diplomatic and social skills.