THE EXTERNAL CONSULTANT
4 Chelliah, J. and Davis, D. 2011, “What clients really want from man- agement consultants: evidence from Aus- tralia”
, 6 (1),
Internation- al Journal of Manage- ment Stud- ies, 6 (1), pp.22-30
5 Kelley, Robert, 1988 “In Praise of Followers” Harvard Business Review, November Issue
• Establish themselves as credible witnesses whose judgment can be trusted and relied upon.
Hiring a consultant that does not meet the above criteria may result in one who: • Does exactly what you tell them – no more and no less. This might meet your ego expectations but will not add any value
• Will tell you what they think you want to hear – not what you need to know
• Spends more time navigating your internal politics than delivering value. They even develop political expectations of their own!
• Is brilliant at finding problems in your organisation but is unwilling (or unable) to offer a solution.
Working in partnership Win-win or no deal. It’s a liberating approach for everyone – clients and consultants alike. An effective – and genuine – partnership between client and consultant inevitably results in a better outcome for both. Effective partnership can operate at either the individual level or organisational level – and ideally will work at both.
What should you be looking for? To deliver on your technical capability and meet your pyschological expectations, we have identified three key elements to look for when you are searching for a consultant. • Do they have the leadership skills you need? • Are they effective followers? • Are they able to work in parnership with your organisation?
In the following section we have set out a number of key questions that we feel will help you to answer the above – and choose the right consultant for you.
Leadership requirements
Do they show knowledge and expertise? This is an opportunity to benchmark your potential consultant against their peers and the market. Are others referencing or replicating their work? Look for independent industry recognition (awards, for example) that demonstrates real capability and success rather than simply talking about it. This is about their track record and reputation – ask around your network as well as making sure to follow up on any references. Good consultants will be happy for you to do this, and will take every opportunity to demonstrate how they have made a real, measurable difference for their clients.
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Do they exercise good judgment? One way to measure this is to look at your consultant’s willingness to take the appropriate time to consider the situation rather than jumping to an immediate solution and trying to sell something ‘off-the-shelf ’. Really good consultants may even talk you out of spending money on the wrong thing, safe in the knowledge that this advice will win them more respect (and business) in the long term.
Do they understand the wider context – yours and theirs? Look for consultants who understand your business and the challenges it faces. This will ensure any intervention is relevant to your business and its needs. A good consultant will be able to talk convincingly to the business side of your organisation about the current state of the industry; the best may even be able to tell them something that they didn’t already know. You also need a consultant who understands
their own context – what is current best practice in learning and development, where are the trends and what is on the horizon. Are they driving this agenda as thought leaders or are they playing catch-up?
September 2015
www.trainingjournal.com
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