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Consultant Debunking
Tips to figure out if your consultant is qualified.
By Deb Kocsis
Contributed by Cornerstone Consulting Associates LLC
Consultant-debunking is still in vogue! Certainly, the number of those making a
living as consultants has gone up, along with the bear economy,
lay-offs and the endless churning within Corporate America. With consultants, it can
be difficult to figure out who's qualified and who's not. Sometimes
the safest option seems to be to trust none of
them.
While
consultant-bashing makes for good copy, in reality there are many more
consulting success stories than failures.
So what's the difference between the successful consulting projects and
the failed consulting projects? How
can you tell if you've found one of the qualified consultants, or one of the
mediocre consultants? It's your
attention to these key questions that can make the distinction clear from the
start:
·
What do past clients of this
consultant have to say? Check into
references provided by the consultant, as well as others whose opinion you
respect. Did the consultant deliver
the results she promised? Was she
competent and knowledgeable in her area of consulting? Were there any unpleasant
surprises? How flexible and
dependable was the consultant throughout the project? Was he able to adapt his processes to
needs of his client, or was he trying to force-fit the client to his rigid
process?
·
Does the
consultant appear to be open to solutions that are tailored for your
organization, or does she have answers already on hand? How will you and the consultant agree
upon outcomes for the project? Are
these outcomes worded in a way that your company readily recognizes and
understands, or are they full of words with ambiguous
interpretations?
·
Do you
sense that his philosophies fit with the culture of your organization? How about his personal style? Even the most skilled and accomplished
consultants don't fit into every organization and work environment. Both you, the consultant, and those who
will be interacting with the consultant need to be comfortable with philosophies
and personal style.
·
How will
the consultant be handling follow-up after the work is done, including
accessibility for questions that come up later? Will your inquiries be greeted with
encouragement, or will the meter be running, or will your messages be ignored as
soon as she is paid?
·
And
finally, do you trust this person?
Do you sense that he has your best wishes in mind, even to the point of
delivering unpopular news? Or do
you feel that there's a hidden agenda or an unusual focus on the fees being
earned?
In the end,
it's the return on your investment that counts, whether you're hiring consulting
expertise for a few hours or a few months.
But when you experience a partnership with a competent consultant, where
each side takes equal share of the risk of the project, with well-defined
outcomes, in a relationship founded on trust, you will undoubtedly find the
value of the advice you receive well worth the placement of your
trust.
Deb Kocsis
Director, Cornerstone Consulting Associates
LLC
Helping You Maintain the Balance of People,
Process, and Product
740-522-8707 (voice)
443-381-0742 (fax)
