The consultancy conundrum

Many are apprehensive about approaching business consultants, but, if done right, such a relationship can be tremendously rewarding – says Sara Blackwell, sales and marketing director, Greenwoods.

“I’m really pleased that you’re happy with where we’ve collectively got to.”

This sentence in an email from a consultant I’m working with really got me thinking this week.

Earlier in my career, I was wary of working with consultants. Didn’t the consultants get the ‘good bits’, the projects I’d actually like to be working on if only I could get the more operational stuff off my desk? Would their brilliance suggest my skills were lacking? Would it be bad for my career if I suggested we might need external input? Would I be considered ‘not up to the job’? (I get all this says a great deal about my insecurities, but I’d at least like to think I wasn’t unique in my thinking).

As a result, I was very reluctant to work with consultants. If it were suggested, I’d talk about how expensive they were and how, with no real understanding of our particular challenges, they couldn’t possibly help. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Fortunately, this rather ridiculous and potentially damaging position didn’t last long, maybe because I had the opportunity to work with some brilliant consultants – who appreciated how it could feel for the in-house lead whose specialism matches theirs and then managed these feelings brilliantly.

So how did they do it? How did they help me move from being hugely defensive to thriving on the joy – and I think it really can be a joy – that collaboration with consultants can bring?

It’s a pretty easy answer, but not one, from anecdotal evidence at least, that all consultants can or do deliver. They realise it’s not about them. I get that consultants need to show they are brilliant and are adding fantastic value, but those who do this at the expense of the in-house teams they are working with are unlikely to build long-lasting profitable relationships.

Here’s my take on how in-house teams can generate relationships with consultants that add masses of value and give everyone involved the chance to shine. Hopefully, it’s a list that will be helpful for consultants too.

Choose wisely. You need to be sure the technical skills and expertise are there, but if you’re struggling to build rapport, it’s likely to be tricky.

Ask the consultants how they deliver messages about things they feel need improving. Of course, we need honesty here, but there are ways of delivering these messages. How a consultant answers this question tells you a great deal about their approach.

Get the scope right. Being absolutely clear on the objectives, the brief, the work involved, the required outputs, or the ‘deliverables’ as I know consultants like to call them and which for some reason always makes me smile – who is doing what and by when? The input needed from you and your colleagues and the price are crucial. And you need to drive it. Talk with your consultancy team about how the project can be structured, but own it and actively direct the brief.

Track progress rigorously. Ask anyone – I love a list, and one with lots of detail about where we all are with those ‘deliverables’ and lots of ticks is a thing of beauty in my eyes.

Don’t just email. Talk to your consultants – through phone, video calls, actual meetings, or whatever works. And, crucially, listen and bring an open mind to discussions. Collaboration means making sure everyone is contributing. Discussions need to be structured and facilitated effectively.

Is this the right moment to mention name-dropping? If you’re a consultant, it’s worth you knowing this can get a bit much. We know you’ve done amazing things with others – it’s probably one of the reasons we’ve picked you. Deliver your thinking for us without feeling the need to mention which organisation you did this with previously. Not every time, anyway.

Share successes. This includes even, and perhaps more importantly in some ways –the little things.

Do things to make you feel like a team, share something of yourself, talk about what you did at the weekend. Focus on building a relationship that means, if you need to have them, trickier conversations feel easier.

You will have additional points from your experiences to add, I’m sure. None are ground-breaking, but they absolutely underpin the development of a successful, positive collaboration that can bring so many benefits.

I’m glad I got over my defensiveness of working with consultants. Greenwoods has reaped the benefit of the insight, experience and approach of the consultants we have worked with. And, from my own point of view, I’ve learnt so much, developed my skills and experience hugely, had a great deal of fun and had so many more opportunities to shine from achieving things collectively than I would have done otherwise.