Consulting -vs- Confusion Choosing the right consultant to avoid confusing program staff

Many times when staff are open and honest about working with a consultant they will make comments like: “I feel like I work harder for the consultant than I do for the company.” or “ This isn’t really working but it is the way the consultant says we have to do it.” When staff feel this way, the consultant is not following the program's agenda and the consulting process is causing confusion rather than being an instrument for positive change.

Using an outside consultant to provide training and staff support can be
beneficial in many ways. An outside consultant can actually make more efficient
use of your programs training dollars or professional development funds. Since
an outside consultant is not considered an employee, your program can save the
wrap-around or “fringe” costs due to benefits offered by your organization.
Another advantage is the flexibility to continue or terminate their service without
the worry of paying unemployment benefits or annual raises. A consultant can
bring in a different perspective when dealing with program challenges as well as
support to achieving your program's goals. From a business perspective all of
this sounds great, so why wouldn’t all organizations utilize a consultant to
support their programs goals, challenges and staff?

Consultants can provide a “Boost” to accelerate
reaching program goals.

A key issue is taking the time to find the right consultant for your program and
working with them to develop a strategic plan to support your expectations or
program goals. To identify or determine if you have found a consultant right for
your program consider the following prior to entering into a contract.

How to prepare to hire the right consultant:

• Know what you want to improve, or be clear about what you want to accomplish
• Be goal and data driven. This can support determining the effectiveness of the consulting relationship.
• Know what implementation will look like and ask how the consultant providing training will support implementation after the training

TRAINING WITHOUT IMPLEMENTATION IS JUST “CHECKING THE BOX”

• Be open to new ideas and strategies

Consultants can be utilized in many ways like:

• Delivering targeted training in certain content areas
• Build staff capacity for long-term programmatic change
• Craft individual Professional Development plans to build the professionalism of all staff
• Support coaching as individual professional development
• Provide support for staff mental wellness

What should you look for when hiring the right consultant?

• First the program must be sure of what the program wants or needs.
• Follow the program's agenda, NOT the consultants.
• A consultant should be a good listener to determine how they can utilize their experience, skills and areas of expertise to help you meet your program goals.
• A consultant should have an understanding of adult learning principles in addition to solid experience and subject matter expertise.

A consultant brings experience and expertise to support programs and does not
come in with their own agenda to make drastic changes of how they think things
should be done. Hence the title: CONSULTANT -VS- CONFUSION.
A qualified consultant starts with the program or staff's capacity and provides
support to build on and strengthen the overall capacity to improve
program effectiveness and quality services.

Other characteristics to look for when hiring a consultant:

• Are they knowledgeable about the context of your program? For example Head Start, Early Head Start, Childcare, Public or Private School
• Are they passionate about what they can do for your program?
• Do they have the expertise you need and first hand experience in that area?
• Do they display the “people skills” that your staff can relate to?

Consultants need to be willing to adapt their strategies and training to be a good
fit for your program. Be a wise consumer of consulting services and call.
Contact A & D Coaching and Consulting for a free consultation to see if we
might be a good fit to support your program's goals and training needs.

Reference:
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/human-resources/article/strategic-use-consultants-r
esources