While business people typically have a broad range of
skills, with perhaps some specialties; changes within the business, in the
broader economic climate, or other unforeseen circumstances, can create a need
that can't be met with the existing skills within the business. When that
occurs, employing a specialist consultant can provide the skills necessary to
deal with the situation as well as an objective viewpoint that can help to
effectively focus the team.
What could a consultant do for you?
There are nine main things:
1.Provide
information
2.Solve problems /
issues / challenges
3.Realise latent
opportunities
4.Diagnose, and
redefine problems / issues / challenges & opportunities
5.Recommend
6.Implement
7.Build consensus
and commitment around corrective action
8.Facilitate client
learning
9.Permanently improve
organisational effectiveness.
And the last three, are the mark of the ‘better’ and more
effective consultant.
Why does an organisation engage a consultant?
These are the 12 most common needs for consulting help:
01.Temporary
assistance
02.Objective review
03.Third-party
request for problem / opportunity identification & resolution / realisation
04.Surviving a crisis
05.Initiating change
06.Obtaining funding
07.Selecting key
personnel
08.In-house education
09.Conflict
resolution
10.Executive assistance
11.Government
regulatory assistance
12.Socio-economic and
political change.
And of these each needs, can be broken down into six parts:
- We must have specific skills
- We require knowledge
- We demand experience
- We will set a timeframe
- It’s necessary for the consultant to have frequently addressed our needs
- Objectivity is a necessity.
What’s the role of the consultant?
Having defined a need for consulting help, we then consider
the consultant’s role in addressing these needs, and there are five:
1.Coach
2.Expert
3.Facilitator
4.Mentor
5.Trainer.
In practice, the consultant’s project role is typically a
combination of #2 (the Expert in the room) plus one of the others.
