What Consultants Want You to Know (But You Never Ask)

I've been both a CEO and a consultant, so I've seen from both perspectives what goes right and what goes wrong when a consultant comes in to a company. Generally the CEO or the manager who hires the consultant tells the consultant what he or she wants. Often the manager is frustrated with something that is happening at the company and expects the consultant will have the expertise to "just fix it". While the manager needs to set the expectations, of course, the consultant rarely gets to voice what he or she knows would make the consulting engagement more successful for both.

Here is what your consultant would love to tell you about making him or her successful working on your behalf:

1. Please Do Your Homework before I Come In

Too many owners and managers hire a consultant and then stop thinking. They present a list of general problems and expect the expert to conjure dramatic results. This approach almost always ends in frustration and many, many billable hours.

Instead, you have to take the initiative and stay involved. Discuss your needs, problems, and parameters in candid terms from the start. Set a budget or schedule upfront for each project a consultant tackles. Save your skepticism (or your staff's) for the interview process; once you've chosen a consultant, give him or her the benefit of everything you know and access to all important information.

One of the biggest costs in hiring outside expertise is bringing the consultant up to speed on your company's operations. If you can prepare reports and numbers internally, you can help the consultant stay away from data gathering and other basic reporting functions; keep the consultant focused on analysis. You can tabulate numbers yourself; you've hired the expert to help you move forward from there. When you hire consultants, keep in mind that their most important skill should be critical analysis and problem solving.

Another point to consider is that many consultants have a steep sort of half life as to enthusiasm for a project. They are consultants because they like variety. In other words, their best thoughts and greatest creativity come early in their relationships with clients. Being prepared from the start allows you to take full advantage of short attention spans.

2. Please let me stay focused on what I came in for and keep the distractions and new requests to a minimum if you want me to stay within your original budget (or expand the budget).

A consultant's expertise is so welcome in certain environments that they number of projects multiplies beyond the hiring manager's original intent, but often with their knowledge. The original project may be just the tip of the iceberg of problems within a company, some of which are best solved by a consultant but many of which are best hired within the company after working with the consultant to develop a plan.

Like any outside contractor or vendor, consultant services are a commodity-and consultants want to sell as much of this commodity over as long a time as they can. That's their understandable inclination as business people. However, it's your understandable inclination as an owner or manager to minimize the amount you pay them.

The consultant may be right to say there aren't quick fixes to serious problems, but don't let that lead to open-ended engagements. Most consultants agree that restructuring involves two phases: a design phase, in which new ways of doing work are fashioned, and an implementation phase, in which the new ways of doing work actually are put in place. Have the consultant schedule these phases. This helps set up an exit strategy for the consultant, which is an important cost control tool. In addition, the consultant will see the project as a limited engagement, rather than open ended.

3. Please set regular times to meet so that I have access to the person who hired me to get clarifications and not waste your time (and not waste my time).

Set regular times to meet (weekly or monthly) when the consultant will review conclusions, answer questions, and challenge you on better ways to run your business.

Make sure these are working meetings. Avoid meetings that turn into administrative updates. By meeting with the consultant regularly, you can compartmentalize-and better control-the amount of time you spend with him or her. It also forces the consultant to be succinct and not draw on too much of your time. In this context, you can expect more from a consultant than from an employee. The consultant's attention should focus squarely on problems you're paying him or her to consider, not on operational details.

Remember that you are paying bigger dollar amounts for this help, so you don't want a consultant to be billing you for time in your office unless you are using that time wisely. Too many times employees don't understand how a consulting arrangement works ? they want the consultant to be available to them during their working hours. Consultants shouldn't be at your company every day where they can be distracted. They should only be there in order to meet with other people. Otherwise, they need to be doing their analysis in the peace and quiet of their own offices. 4. Please Don't Kill the Messenger

The manager or CEO who hired the consultant may be very excited at the beginning of working together and feel like he or she just unloaded their burden onto some capable shoulders. Then the consultant prepares an analysis and the recommendations all rely on additional work to be done by managers and employees inside the company. The recommendations may also involve actions that aren't fun to carry out, such as demoting or terminating non-performing employees. They may call for additional reports or extra meetings. Expect that the consultant will come to some conclusions you won't like immediately, but they may be the only way to end some long-term problems.

In conclusion, when you keep consultants disciplined and focused, you can use them to great advantage. Be clear on the purpose of hiring the consultant and what you can and can't expect their work to produce. Up front clarity will lead to a productive and valuable relationship.

About The Author

Jan B. King is the former President & CEO of Merritt Publishing, a top 50 woman-owned and run business in Los Angeles and the author of Business Plans to Game Plans: A Practical System for Turning Strategies into Action (John Wiley & Sons, 2004). She has helped hundreds of businesses with her book and her ebooks, The Do-It-Yourself Business Plan Workbook, and The Do-It-Yourself Game Plan Workbook. See www.janbking.com for more information.

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the byline is included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

janbking0191@sbcglobal.net

---

Smart Hiring: What Makes the Right Employee?

Good hires do not happen by accident or luck. In this economy, employers are finding a large pool of available workers. But finding the right employee for... Read More

Supervisor-Employee Relations: Tips For Managers

Supervisor-employee relations are a critical part of a work place atmosphere and promoting productivity and cohesiveness. The following tips address these issues:1. Don't ask or expect your... Read More

Tales From the Corporate Frontlines:The Importance of a Competitive Wage and Benefit Package

This article relates to the Compensation and Benefits competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. It tells the story of a company that needed to attract new... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management: Generating Better Ideas

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation. There are other useful definitions for... Read More

Rethinking the CEO-Chairman Split

Traditionally, in American businesses, the same person occupies the role of chairman of the board and chief executive officer, though this is gradually shifting to the European... Read More

The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - Conflict Becoming the Norm ? Part 1

A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.Conflict Becoming the Norm ? Part 1Dr. Dean Ornish, noted cardiologist,... Read More

Giving a Good Appraisal Interview

Although this performance discussion is an opportunity for you to discuss your employee's work during a given period of time, it is also, and importantly, a time... Read More

How to Make the Best of it - Take Your Weather with You

I once worked in a place where there were three lines of words, placed just before employees went from backshop to front of shop. These said:-Smile!Remember -... Read More

Problems with Group Decision Making

DECISION BY AUTHORITY RULE: Many groups start out with-or quickly set up a power structure that makes it clear that the chairman (or someone else in authority)... Read More

Innovation Management ? Flexibility

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

How to Hire the Right People

One of the biggest challenges any business owner or manager has is hiring the right people. I've recently discovered a simple, inexpensive yet very effective way which... Read More

Industry Analysis Section of Your business plan

Writing a Business Plan for your next entrepreneurial endeavor is crucial. You will need sufficient capital and a guide to keep you on track. One important part... Read More

What Makes A Good Media Story?

Media relations can be difficult, but also rewarding. And the lessons we learn from working with newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and online publications should increase the effectiveness... Read More

Enable Continuous Improvement of IT Services through ITIL

One of the major benefits, if not THE benefit of process orientated approaches to managing your IT services and infrastructure is that it enables continuous improvement.This means... Read More

Leadership: Stoking The Success Train

Everyone wants to succeed yet everyone has a different perception of what success means and what it will bring into their lives. It is a means of... Read More

How Managers Can Turn Failures Into Successes

Although there are real, external reasons for managerial difficulty ? including massive reorganization after takeovers and the realities of discrimination due to age, sex, and race ?... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management - Turning Ideas into Action

The phrase "turning ideas into action" is a Russian doll.Managing the ideas to implementation process is important for at least two reasons:a) To make effective use of... Read More

Why You Need a Business Plan

This article was originally called "Do You Need a Business Plan?"The title was changed because in truth, every business needs a business plan. It's a common misconception... Read More

Dialogue vs. Discussion

Have you ever sat in a meeting where everyone is busy giving their point of view and trying to prove why they are right? Where no one... Read More

Are You Ready to Sell Your Business

Make Sure You Understand Your Motivation for SellingAre you thinking about selling your business?This simple one-question quiz will help you to better understand your motivations behind this... Read More

Knowledge Management - Creating a Sustainable Yellow Pages System

How can I "know who knows" None of us can personally know more than around 250 people, yet we want our companies to be smart, learning organisations... Read More

How to Set Up a Conference Call

The methods in which you set up a conference call vary between the different services you use, and what type of conference calling you are using. There... Read More

Work Priorities: Where Can You Spend Your Time Most Effectively?

Understanding where you can spend time most effectively requires concentration in three areas:1. Doing what you enjoy 2. Concentrating on your strengths 3. Understanding Job ExcellenceLet's start... Read More

Innovation Management ? the Root of the Problem

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

Delegating Responsibility

Too many managers waste both time and energy performing tasks an employee could perform just as well, thereby lowering productivity while raising operating costs. The answer to... Read More

Hire People For What They Do Best

I recently flew from Seattle to Atlanta, I realized, just as we began our taxi, that it takes hundreds of support personnel to maintain a flight. I... Read More