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Ask your average consultant what time it is, and they'll ask if you have a watch; then they'll charge you a fee to look at your watch and tell you the time. Or maybe they will explain the features of their own watch in an effort to get you to purchase it - regardless of whether or not you need a watch.

Great consultants, on the other hand, will tell you the time. In addition, they will assist you with understanding how you can always know the time.

At its best, the business of consulting helps you to understand how you can make better use of what you already have. At its worst, you pay to have someone else tell you what you already know needs to get done. Or worse yet, give you more work. So, how do you make the best choice when it comes to hiring the right consultant?

Furthermore, how do you ensure that your agenda is being honored and implemented?

There are three key points to keep in mind when bringing a consultant into your practice

1. Be clear about your intentions
2. Ask open-ended questions
3. Manage expectations

1. Be Clear About Your Intentions

What is it that you really want? Do you want to double the number of customers (patients) you see? Do you need to reduce expenses? Do you want to spend less time in the office and get paid more? Do you want to retire in 5 years? Whatever it may be, you need to be clear about what you are expecting to be delivered (not necessarily how it will get done). Your desires and aspirations are your foundation, and you need a consultant who will be either your champion or a worthy opponent.

2. Ask Open-Ended Questions

If I say to you "Que chose en Français que tu vous ne pouvez pas comprendre?" given that you do not speak French, I have either set you up for failure or a learning experience. In Six Sigma, we let the data provide us with answers. We do not assume we know the solution. In the same way, asking open-ended questions permits reflection and discussion. I believe a good communicator gives answers; a great communicator asks appropriate questions. Once the questions are answered, a great consultant will offer options, explain any risks, benefits, and consequences for each. Furthermore, a great consultant will spend the time to get buy-in from you and your organization. Remember, this is your business, hospital or practice; it is your dreams in action, so your wish is their command!

3. Manage Expectations

The enthusiasm that first comes with putting a goal into action is usually followed by confusion. Then a lot of hard work and in some instances re-work. When implementing a project, keep in mind this very sacred trilogy: Scope, Budget, and Schedule.

How big is this project that you want to implement? What is the potential impact on your staff and your business? How much money, time, and how many resources can you allocate to this project? And the most important question to ask: How much can this consultant do for you, realistically? At the end of the day, you want this to be a one-time initiative in which a temporary project team implements a specific solution to achieve a benefit. Then you want to be able to synthesize the solution and be knowledgeable enough to transition and sustain the change.

Great consultants get behind the change that everyone talks about. They are the saviors and they take the blame. Why else would they get paid so much? There are technology experts and product pushers that will tell you that they have the answer. Rare is the consultant that can look at the entire organization and provide you with a cost benefit analysis for the things you've been wondering all along.

Nina Segura B.S., M.A., CSSBB
Metaspire Consulting - "Performance improvement from strategy to execution."
Web: http://www.metaspireconsulting.com/
Our Whitepapers: http://www.metaspireconsulting.com/white_papers

"I think a major act of leadership right now, call it a radical act, is to create the places and processes so people can actually learn together, using our experiences." Margaret J. Wheatley

By Nina Segura
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