Five Questions Every Consultant Should Answer

I’m continually surprised by how many companies are engaged in drama-based relationships with the consultants they’ve hired. Are any of these characteristics present in your relationship with a consultant?

• Consultant gives you advice from an emotional distance and doesn’t seem to care about what you are actually going through. If the advice doesn’t work, they blame it on you.
• Recommendations seem generic, not suited to your situation.
• If you question their advice, they become defensive.
• They tell you to “trust them” because they are the expert.
• They keep you dependent on them instead of building your own competence and confidence.
• They over adapt to please you or say what you want to hear instead of telling you the truth.
• They squirm when you ask about metrics or return on investment.

If you are looking to hire a consultant and want to avoid drama, require that they answer these questions to demonstrate that they will be open, resourceful and persistent with you.

1. How will you get to know our unique situation and adapt accordingly?
2. How will we measure positive change and return on investment?
3. Describe how you’ve handled past situations where the client’s wishes were against your best judgment.
4. How do you foster sustainability and self-confidence in your clients? i.e. How will you work yourself out of a job?
5. Describe a situation where you held firm to an important boundary and risked losing a client.

Drama-based relationships with consultants (and any vendor, for that matter) happen when either party falls into the Drama Triangle and adopts one of the three dram roles; Victim, Rescuer, or Persecutor. When this happens, energy and resources get diverted away from healthy progress toward self-justification and self-protection. If you are a consultant and want to become a trusted advisor who steers clear of drama, here are some tips.

Copyright 2016, Next Element Consulting, LLC,  All rights reserved

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