I can see this topic getting me into a lot of trouble. This is a
complex subject. The kernel of it is that you can hire a consultant to help you
with the management of a company and do so on a short term basis. They will
come, do their thing and leave and all will be well in fact all will be better
with the company. It seems like a plan. The expectations are that the
consultant has a level of expertise in a given subject area that the company
does not possess and that therefore it makes sense to hire them on a short term
basis and make use of this expertise. Usually consultants are paid relatively
high wages compared to the wages paid by the company. Usually they are brought
in when there is a perceived problem within the company. Where is the
bullshit in this you say?
Hmmmmm. It is possible that everything will go well and that all
will be happy. In which case there is no bullshit here.
Unfortunately, its also possible that the claimed expertise does
not exist or that the consultant will make bad business decisions or for a
variety of reasons it just won't work. There are no standards for consultants
-anyone can say they are a consultant in anything. Now we have a problem. The
person who hired the consultant will be held responsible. So some degree of
success will be claimed - even when there isn't any. The bullshit builds. Based
on this actual failure the consultant obtains more assignments and his failure
spreads. So new consultants are brought in with new ideas and approaches. And
sometimes their approaches don't work either! Soon there is a general mistrust
of management consultants.
I have never seen a consultant offer his or her services for
free and a percentage of the improved sales that his or her work will generate.
Lawyers do something like this when taking on certain types of cases. But not
consultants. Interesting isn't it.
In my experience I have seen some excellent consultants and some
absolutely dreadful ones. Some have been entirely competent and have shown
excellence and others the exact opposite. I have also noticed that the really
good ones are difficult to get and the stinky ones are generally available. So
now I am stuck. I don't want to tell you that ALL consultants are bullshit
artists but on the other hand I want to tell you that some are. Do your due diligence.
Ask good probing questions of people who have worked with them before. If you
see a trend of bad reports keep away. The good ones will stand out too.
I hope that helps. A good consultant can save your skin and be
the best thing that could happen to your company. A bad consultant could destroy
your company. My best advice is to purchase our new book on business YOUR
VERY FIRST BILLION where you will learn all of this stuff and much much
more. Its a lot cheaper than hiring a Management Consultant and you will likely
learn more!
