Having a consultant you like is good. If he often makes you uncomfortable, that’s better.
If he is like a politician constantly looking for validation and reappointment, then he is looking out for his interests, not yours.
A good consultant, I prefer the word collaborator, challenges, plays devil's advocate and brings fresh insights and perspectives.
If they are really good, they will also draw the very best thinking and perspectives from your team.
Keep her constantly updated on the general news of your business but, importantly, what you and your people are thinking. They may well save you a lot of time, money and stress. Having that outside but informed perspective is invaluable.
Based on cognitive neuroscientific research, we have developed systems engaging a combination of visual, auditory and olfactory neurons to facilitate this process even further. Adding this to the application of ‘Thinking Models’, we have created ‘Collaborative Solutions’: a workshopping process that delivers real practical results. It is fun, fast and furious.
Making it Real
Having worked in this space for many years, we have learned what works and doesn’t. We know that clarity and simplifying complex issues and presenting them clearly is imperative. It’s the outcomes that are important, not the process. Elaborate processes take too long and get in the way of the application of practical outcomes. Elaborate, labour-intensive processes take too much time, increase costs, and leave teams confused and unclear about how to deliver.
A highfalutin strategy scattered with buzz words is as useful as a chocolate teapot if it doesn’t have a clear path to implementation so that the whole team understands who is doing what and when to deliver the agreed outcomes.
That’s why we like to call ourselves collaborators. We run our own businesses and projects, and we know what it takes in real life. We have spent many years developing our Collaborative Solutions process. Based on careful research, practical experimentation, solid science and the latest technology, it enables us to work quickly with client teams on their challenges and opportunities.
These new methodologies have enabled us to workshop with clients and achieve in a day what used to take two. Our follow up materials are immediate. The time and costs of the process are reduced considerably. It’s hard work, but the results are spectacular.