Unveiling the Benefits of Consulting: Why It's Essential for Businesses
- Zoran Vidovic
- Sep 27, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 12, 2024
There often comes a point where we need to take a step back and see reality from a fresh perspective. It might even warrant a second pair of eyes to find the way out from the labyrinth of thoughts, information, and ideas not allowing us to make an informed decision; even if it is just before our eyes.
It does not suggest we are unable or capable of performing our duties, as it is just a natural state of mind that we need to acknowledge and act up on to release our creativity.
Table of contents
What can we do to change these statistics?
- Outsourcing on our terms
- No obligations other than the financial compensation
- Gaining access to invaluable experience
- The consultant is not up to the task and might deliver a flawed result.
- We haven't conveyed relevant information, and the expected outcome is not in line with the expectations.
- The suggested solution does not align with our projected outcome, and so creates even bigger confusion.
Why consult?
It is easy to get stuck in place and overwhelmed with information overload or by the burden of responsibility, whether financial or concerning our employees. We can get sidetracked from the path of success and surpassed by the opportunities due to tunnel vision.
Business-related burnout is a reality that affects a great number of people. Approximately 50% of managers have experienced burnout at some point, resulting in lowered life quality and productivity.
What can we do to change these statistics?
We need to acknowledge it, explore opportunities within our reach, and start thinking outside the box. Move away from the mentality and practice that is having us running in a circle chasing our tail. Remember we are leaders, and by nature we explore opportunities, resources and assets to achieve the best results.
Well, that is what consulting is - a resource when recognized and utilized to the fullest. On the other hand, we could be stepping into an unknown territory, and so we might need assistance with direction.
This is where consulting comes in play, as we have a broad selection of companies and freelancers to choose from.
Let’s look at some benefits of utilizing consultants.
1. Outsourcing on our terms
We decide which information we share and which part of responsibility you temporarily outsource to receive a fresh view on the matter and explore a new approach to problem resolution. We keep the absolute control and dictate the rhythm while deciding on our level of involvement.
We could choose to fully outsource selected projects to the consultant or to have joint effort in finding a plausible solution for your challenges, perhaps even leading to change management. It is up to us to match our challenge with the most plausible solution and decide how much of your involvement is actually needed.
2. No obligations other than the financial compensation
It is up to consultants to organize their time and resources, as we do not have any obligation to participate. Our responsibility is setting clear expectations and providing concise and accurate information supporting desired results.
Consultants will decide on the right approach to resolving the presented challenge in the set time frame.
So, the consultant becomes our most resourceful employee just without all the employee benefits other than the one-time compensation.
3. Gaining access to invaluable experience
We might be limited with our exposure in our career, which we can compensate by utilizing the right consultant with the desired experience and skill set. We should be cautious of overestimating our knowledge and abilities and admit when we are not fully up to the task. We then need to utilize other resources and engage with individuals that possess the required experience and knowledge we are currently lacking.
This does not imply we are not capable of doing our job; it testifies to our resourcefulness and ingenuity in finding the most plausible resource to tackle our challenge.
That is the wisdom of a great leader.
So, we get benefits without additional responsibility other than financial compensation, whilst being critical and cautious of the results, providing consultants are up to the task and we have communicated all relevant information and clear expectations.
Let’s take leadership consulting, for example:
As leaders, we are exposed to a particular industry and culture within the enterprises we were engaged with. The leadership consultant has been exposed to a variety of industries and cultures through their career as well as engagement with their clients. This is something to have in mind as we can get an invaluable insight into various leadership challenges across the industries and demographics. It can help us discover different approaches to leadership as well as provide new tools to tackle potential challenges and conflicts.
It can also serve as a base for the operational change or even updates to the company's mission and vision, as they need to be aligned with the achievable and sustainable goals.
Pitfalls of consulting
Any downsides to consulting?
Yes. There are three major possibilities of an error:
1. The consultant is not up to the task and might deliver a flawed result.
This would just waste our time and resources, or even divert us from the plausible solutions.
That is why it is important to understand the services offered by the consultant, along with their credibility.
We need to determine whether the consultant possesses the required knowledge and expertise to advise on a particular subject and produce plausible solutions.
We need to determine this before we engage with the consultant, and we can do that by:
- Checking their experience and education to determine if they can provide the required support.
- Checking their media presence (social network posts, website, blog, vlog, etc.) to get an idea about their communication abilities as well as the views on certain subjects relating to your challenges.
- Contact them and have an open and transparent discussion with regards to their education, background, work experience, and solution packages suitable for your challenges.
This will give us an idea of who we are dealing with and if they are able and capable of delivering the required results in the set timeframe. It will also allow us to see their personality and determine if they will be a good match with other stakeholders they might be involved with.
2. We haven't conveyed relevant information, and the expected outcome is not in line with the expectations.
“Need to know bases” is a good concept when applied properly, and there are times when access to some information is restricted and strictly controlled. This is why the NDA (non-disclosure agreement) exists: to assure no information is abused and hijacked from the company.
But it is important to understand when to allow access to sensitive information and to whom, as we cannot expect someone to come to an informed decision without relevant and accurate information. It would be like driving a vehicle blindfolded, which is reckless and dangerous with probable negative outcomes.
So, providing concise and accurate information, along with communicating the company's mission and vision, is essential to getting the desired solution. We should also provide insight into the company’s culture to have a mutual understanding of all the circumstances and to paint an accurate picture of the company standards to adhere to during this process.
This way we are setting the tone and direction of the cooperation with no loose ends and question marks.
We need to maintain communication channels and have responsible individuals available for possible cooperation.
3. The suggested solution does not align with our projected outcome, and so creates even bigger confusion.
It could even result in rejection of the proposed solution as it is not in line with our expectations or planned budget.
We need to be openminded and realistic when asking for assistance outside our regular team, as we might receive opinions and solutions contradicting our logic and current direction. It does not mean they are not plausible, but rather requires more adjustment than predicted.
It could ever result in more in-depth analysis guiding us towards deeper changes to get in line with current and projected trends.
Either way, we need to make sure all our questions are answered before we engage in the process, as it will guarantee a successful cooperation resulting in complementing results. If not, we risk falling into the pitfalls of consulting.
It will all depend on your expectations. We should not try to outsource and delegate our responsibility, as we cannot do that. Sometimes we might look for someone to take the burden of decision-making, but that is not what consulting is for.
Conclusion: What should we be looking for?
We should look for someone to assist us in the journey and take ownership of selected assignments, which will help us decide on the appropriate actions, but we always need to keep in mind that the final outcome is still our responsibility.
It is important that we hire consultants with complementary skills, experience, and approaches to be able to cascade mission specifics and have them stay within expected parameters. However, we should not look for our clone in regards to personality, skill set, and approach, as you run the risk of not exposing yourself to a different point of view. That it is exactly what most of us are going to do, as we tend to relate to the known and fear of the unknown.
We then need to do our share and analyze offered solutions to select the best for our company. Well, this is easier said than done.
So, let’s look at consulting as an opportunity to receive fresh, untainted directions, which might broaden our horizons and help us discover new opportunities.
#human resources
