Consultants' top 3 tips
Sometimes assignments do not turn out as planned. It may be a matter of changed conditions, personal chemistry, changed requirements for you as a consultant or that the assignment does not correspond to what was described. In other words, something has gone wrong. So what can you do as a consultant in that situation?
We have spoken to five interim consultants who have all experienced situations in the field that have tested their adaptability, patience and diplomacy. Here is a summary of their best advice in three points:
1. keep your distance. Many times when you are hired as an interim consultant, companies are under extra pressure and this can affect morale, productivity and the overall well-being of the organization. If the company and its employees are not doing well, it has nothing to do with you - don't take it personally. Try to find the challenge in what you contribute as a positive force. And don't forget that there is also a flip side to your ambition and willingness to work in change management.
2. Have integrity. Sometimes clients need to know in an unvarnished way how the business is doing. Your role as an independent consultant includes looking beyond corporate politics, tradition and other things that potentially undermine business success. Consider it part of your mission and your integrity as interim consultant letting the right people hear the constructive truth when you judge that it benefits the company, even if it hurts the individual. The expectation of your behavior varies, of course, depending on your role, but do not forget that it is often part of qualified assignments to tear up old truths and have a consultative approach that employees generally do not dare or have the skills for. In other words, it is part of what the customer pays you for.
3. Use the recruitment agency. If you have gone through a recruitment agency, you should have an open dialog with your contact person. It is the contact person's role to make sure that the client can use as much of your skills as possible. This way, your experience and the expectations placed on you will be concrete and reflect what you have agreed.
Regarding the third point, you should contact the recruitment agency as your first step. The recruitment agency should have a routine and experience of having a continuous dialog with all parties before, during and after the assignment. This does not mean that all the information you share should end up with the client. Nor does it mean that any information the client shares with the recruitment agency will end up with you, but the recruitment agency's task is to improve the situation in a way that benefits everyone.
