Analysis

Making the most of consultants

Fundraising | 9 Oct 2009

The shark-infested waters of consultancy can be daunting to navigate, says Helena Sharpstone.

There were so many things I wanted to be when I grew up.  I changed my mind almost daily as I considered prison officer, restaurateur, barrister, belly dancer (yes, really) and lifeguard. I don’t ever remember saying I wanted to be a consultant. I’m not sure I would have known what one was. Yet that is what so many of us end up choosing to do, whether it be management, marketing, fundraising or in my case, learning and development.

The sector is full of us. We make our way in work life supporting all manner of contributors to causes, all hoping to inspire change and increased effectiveness with our wisdom and ideas, or sometimes just by listening well and asking powerful questions to get people to sort things out for themselves.

I risk a lynching from my fellow practitioners but I’m still going to ask: are we really worth what you pay us? I would like to think the answer is always ‘yes’ – not much point to it all otherwise, but I know that in every profession, good and bad exists, often side-by-side. 

Before I became a consultant I had jobs in a few companies and then a career in this sector and in all cases, we used consultancy services. Some were a privilege to work with and taught me lessons that still have a massive impact on the way I work and live my life. Some were great at first but we outgrew them fairly quickly – not a problem in itself. Some were mediocre at best and the odd one or two were a disgrace.

So how can you differentiate between those who are good and those who just talk a good game; the ones who will make a difference and the others who will just make a mess?

This is my abridged guide to what consultants say, what they might really mean, and what you can do to extract the best possible service from and relationship with them. What follows may or may not fit with your experiences, but I have found my claims to be true often enough to be worthy of the generalisation.  There will always be the exceptions.  Disclaimer over.

1) We say: “We have a wide offering of skills and experience.”  We mean: “We’re jacks of all trades” or “Throw enough at them and hope something sticks.” 

First of all it must be said that many consultants truly are skilled and experienced. They are learned and humble with it, realising there is always more to gain. They have developed through experiences in a range of situations and they should be well worth having around.  Others have just had the same experience over and over again and their value is more limited. Think about what you want. Look for experience that comes with energy and openness and steer clear of the arrogant variety. I have found that experience has brought me honesty.  Nowadays, I am as confident to say what I can’t do or am not prepared to take on as much as what I can and would love to do. Look for what your consultant is prepared to turn down as much as what they say they can do.

2) We say: “We like to get under the skin of the organisation.”  We mean: “We haven’t got a lot of work on at the moment.”

It is true that there are consultants who pad out work and therefore billable time to make a booking last longer. The last thing you need is a consultant who behaves like an employee – the worst of both worlds.  Most of us don’t.  We want to get close because that is how we can be of most value. By learning your culture, we can work within it and challenge it too.  As far as I am concerned, getting close whilst remaining objective is part of the role. You should expect some of that to be included in the package, but it is not unreasonable to be asked to pay for the rest.

3) We say: “I have been in your shoes.”  We mean: “I couldn’t hack it in fundraising so I thought I’d have a crack at this.”

I dislike the saying “those who can’t do teach”. It insults those of us who do both.  I can see where it comes from though. Sadly the sector does contain the odd example that proves the rule. It is a little disconcerting to find out that someone who failed to meet any of their objectives in a job, and is gently helped to move on to pastures new, is later found grazing the green grass of consultancy, setting themselves up as an expert in their former field.  Buyer beware - you can do better than this.  You have the right to expect your guru to have a solid operational track record as well as knowledge and expertise that is current.

For my part, staying up to date is a priority.  It took me a while to cotton on to the fact that when you go it alone, there is no development budget to dip into.  You have to stump up yourself to keep yourself ahead in your field.  There’s nothing worse than engaging a dinosaur who tries to convince you their tired old lines are at the cutting edge of current thinking.

4) We say: “We specialise in providing innovative solutions to enable complex organisational growth and change.”  We mean: “We’re twits who have swallowed a thesaurus.”

This is part of my campaign for encouraging the world to talk out their mouths and not some other orifice. Consultant-speak is ridiculously jargon heavy; it’s not big and it’s not clever. It makes us look rather stupid actually.  Don’t let us get away with it. You should encourage straight talk and clear communication from your consultant and if you don’t know what they’re talking about, say so. You might find that neither do they.

I could go on but I won’t because I would like to work again one day. There is as much I want to say about how you can be a good client, but that is a whole other feature.  In all seriousness, chemistry is important.  You don’t have to be friends with us but you should enjoy having us around.  First and foremost, we should provide you with the help and expertise you seek plus a combination of support and challenge to move you forward.  All this is improved if you value our company too.  One of my clients says you should never underestimate the value of sharing a cappuccino and a good sob.  But enough about him.  Finding the right consultant is like finding love.  The search can be long and frustrating but once you find what is right for you, you never look back.  Happy hunting.

Helena Sharpstone is a director of consultancy Sharpstone Skinner

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