"Quality Consultation"

Dear Dadie: I know this is a big risk, because I know you are a consultant, but you need to know that there are some of us out here who are less than enchanted with consultants, yet we often find we need an objective point of view or an outside voice, and so we call them again. They arrive, do their thing, are gone... but our problems don't go with them. It is my guess that this letter won't make it to your column, but a personal answer would be appreciated.

Dear Doubtful: My consultant partner, Linda Shinn and I feel exactly as frustrated by quick fixes as you seem to be, so your letter does make it to my column. Can you imagine a patient who needs long-term therapy for a physical or mental illness going to one office visit, even with the greatest living doctor or psychologist, and being cured? That patient may expect to be cured in a visit, may wish to be cured in a visit, but you can be sure, he/she won't be. Association problems are no different. To properly diagnose the problem, to consider all possible remedies, to determine an optimum approach, and to monitor and oversee the treatment and recovery plan, takes more time than most clients are willing, or in some cases, able, to give the consultant.

So what can you, the client, and we the consultants, do about it? Here are a few possibilities to consider:

1. Be sure you correctly identify your issue, separate from the facts. There is a huge difference between those two. Facts are irrefutable and worth knowing, but should not be endlessly revisited. Too much effort is spent by too many organizations suffering over facts: not enough money, not enough time, not enough new leadership, or not enough press coverage. In countless pages of board minutes, well-intentioned leaders give time they don't have to talking about the facts, and never getting to the issues. What the organization needs to know is why isn't there enough money? How is time being spent? What is keeping new leadership from stepping up? Where is the media going for information about your industry, profession or cause?
   
   In most cases you need a good consultant to help you identify the real issues, because most of us see what we want when we look in the mirror.
   
   
2. In considering the options for addressing the issues, a blank sheet approach is essential. Nothing should be quickly excluded, even if you "tried it once and it didn't work", or "it's not in the budget". The place to look hardest and longest is at your organization's culture, how you really do your business, not how you would like to do your business or you think you are doing your business.
   
   In most cases you need a good consultant to guide you through the possible options, because most of us see what we want when we look in the mirror.
   
   
3. Develop a plan of action, with a clearly enunciated list of desired achievements, a budget and a timetable. Then walk that fine line between sticking to it and being opportunistic enough to consciously change it so that you can either create an advantageous situation, or quickly take advantage of one that surfaces.
   
   In most cases you still need the consultant, because this is where most well-intentioned, well-conceived designs go bad. The plans are either so rigid that the organization loses the ability to be fast, or so loose, that accountability is impossible. Ability to walk that fine line without losing one's balance is one of the traits that makes good executives great.
   
   
4. Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate, not just at the end, but at regular intervals.
   
   In most cases you need a good consultant to do this, because most of us see what we want when we look in the mirror.
   
   

And the end of the story is where we began. Having someone to blame for continuing to do things the same way and expecting different results is very convenient. So feel free to blame those bad consultants who did absolutely nothing for you, even though you spent several thousand dollars, (plus expenses!) on a one-day engagement! Even the best of the best could do little within that timeframe. You, Debbie, have probably been to one of those great one day events that left you energized and ready to fight lions. Do you remember how long that charge held? Probably not much past your first bad day at the office after that. Short term fixes yield short term results.

If this is the year of transparency and accountability, as the pundits tell us, each of us must start with being honest with ourselves, and accountable for what we can and can't deliver. Beware the consultant who promises you too much. You can hire that person for a day of learning, for sharing some useful ideas, and certainly for a few good laughs, but in most cases, that one day of "AHAs" won't stick unless it is followed up, monitored and continually appraised. That requires some serious time and attention, by the consultant and the client. It will also require a serious fee. Your organization didn't get poor or starved for new leadership in one day, so don't expect a one day cure. Your consultant didn't build her/his body of knowledge in one day, so don't expect to buy that expertise cheaply.

Engaging a good consultant takes time and deserves care. Be sure to:

1. Be clear about the expertise that is needed, and ask for it in a formal or informal RFP.
2. Clarify expectations of each other, client and consultant.
3. Ask the consultant what kind of experience she/he has had in dealing with the issues you are concerned about.
4. Check references, those offered by the consultant, and others from colleagues who may have worked with the consultant and have information on the consultant's competency.
5. Enter into a written agreement, even if it's just a signed letter, so that all are clear about deliverables, timelines, fee schedules, client and consultant responsibilities, and expense reimbursement policies.

To complete the answer to your question, it is possible for an incompetent consultant to land on your doorstep. All it takes to identify yourself as a consultant is to name yourself one, print some stationary and business cards, and start calling on some of your colleagues. Many unemployed executives become instant consultants, either to fill resume gaps or to try and earn some income between CEO positions. Beware the dilettante consultant. Look for consultants who became consultants by design, not by default.

Today's environment is neither benevolent or forgiving... so it's your job to give members and customers an organization that can deliver value at the lowest possible cost. It's a demanding world... so it takes superb talent and well-oiled systems to work it. The good news: There are consultants out there who can help you make that happen. To do so, there must be some "goodness of fit" between the client and the consultant, and enough time allowed to do it right and make it stick.

Dadie Perlov, CAE, is a Principal of the Consensus Management Group, a full service consulting firm for the association community

Association Trends - December 6, 2002. Reprinted with the permission of Association Trends.

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Dadie Perlov, CAE