Is a consultant a lifesaver? Or a trusted navigator?

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Thanks for reading.

Joe

This month I have had the pleasure of meeting Rob Alcroft who is the founder and lead consultant at Wayforward - a specialist fundraising consultancy business supporting charities nationwide.

We were chatting over a coffee about they types of relationships we as consultants form with clients and which we prefer.

Loyal readers of JLC news will know that I'm passionate about getting afloat - so please indulge me with the pleasure of introducing a sailing metaphor.

As a business leader it's not too much of a stretch of the imagination to feel like you are the skipper of a ship sailing the high seas. Sometimes smooth sailing, sometimes rough and stormy and sometimes downright scary - and thats just the crew. You know where you want to get to, but there are thousands of routes to choose and countless obstacles and hazards to avoid on the way.

Still with me? Lets get to the consultancy support.?

Some consultants are like the lifeboats or helicopters that appear when things are really rough - the ship is taking on water, the crew are exhausted, tired, scared and possibly mutinous. You, as the skipper, are also under the same stress, but also feeling alone and solely responsible. A fresh perspective is welcome and if the hero turns up to save the day, amongst the crashing waves - great.

But there is another way.

What if you had someone supporting you three months ago, who discussed and advised which route to take to avoid the storms?

Or maybe they had said lets slow down, steer left or right and seek shelter.

Or maybe when things inevitably were going to get choppy, helped you to keep everyone calm, energised and focussed on their tasks.

This type of support may be less 'heroic' and is certainly less visible - but which would you prefer?

I obviously prefer the later, building long term relationships with partner organisations and helping them navigate around, rather than simply survive the storms. So does Rob and the many other supporters I've had the pleasure of working with.

Does this metaphor make sense? I hope so. Lets work together to plot your course to success.

#consultant #strategy #Support #marketing