Picking a Good Consultant: how I choose consultants and coaches to improve my own work!

“We are considering hiring (name shielded to protect the innocent) to help us with this task. Do you think that is a good idea?”

~1025 words this week.

The call came from one of my readers. A team member wanted to hire a good consultant to help them in a specific area of their church’s ministry.

“We have always hired consultants to help us rethink, redo an area, and give us the benefit of seeing many other churches' approaches. Our issue is not hiring an outsider. We don’t know if this is the right person for this initiative. What can you tell us?”

A bit of background and bias to my answer for full disclosure:

• I had some knowledge of the person. I had met them. Seemed like a good person.
• They were not a colleague of mine at Generis. At Generis, they have high-quality standards and check everyone out well.
• I have used consultants and coaches for organizational issues in places where I was the leader and for my current business and consulting practice. If I can find someone that can help, I find it helpful!
• The summary bullets for what I told my friend can apply to many other situations.

1.??????Is it a straightforward process?

The church was striving toward a particular result.

Not just an idea person. There are lots of people that can bring ideas, and I appreciate them. They are widely traveled and read. But ideas can be gathered through other means as well. Ideas are essential, but a process that moves a team toward a result is more valuable.

• Moves to implementation. Does the process help apply the ideas to action plans that the team can execute regularly? An exception would be a one-time build or performance of a software project. But most projects need to build processes that guide YOUR team to accomplish the result.
• Can you obtain good scripts and tools that last for a few seasons? Does the process transfer tools, such as frameworks, communication scripts, models, and procedures that will stand up for a few years so your team can execute on their own? It is one thing to be guided the first time through, but will it need the regular intervention of an outsider?
• An outsider might be needed at critical intervals, but do some of the tools enable you to carry forward without them regularly?

2.??????Does the consultant bring “Sage Wisdom” to your key issue?

Many consultants in the church space do something well at their church once and then begin to sell themselves as experts. They are. They are experts in that one approach and experience. But many issues need a more comprehensive experience base and insight.

Here are some key questions:

• Is the consultant focused on your key issue as a specialty?

I must confess that sage wisdom applies to many areas of church life. Sometimes I get called into a client because they know I have seen a lot from across the US, Canada, and Europe. The benefit of being old and working with larger churches for 30 years certainly helps that.

But the few issues where I stay focused are strategic staff and board-focused issues, such as Senior Pastor Succession. That is where I have a deep reservoir of background, experience, and process tools. I have a few others, but a limited set where I focus to drive the process deep.

Could I do others? Yes, and I get asked to do so. But I usually point people elsewhere because driving down deep on a few things builds capacities beyond a generalist.

• Does the consultant inspire, equip, and challenge?

I define Sage Wisdom as knowing when to apply those words. There are seasons when clients need inspiration. That should be followed by some equipping with frameworks and tools. But there are also times when client thinking SHOULD be challenged.

Some clients want affirmation and confirmation.

But a good consultant will know when to challenge the client’s assumptions and guide them with questions toward a better result.

• Do they have a track record of serving others?

Admittedly, not everyone has a long record, but do they have an excellent record beyond one church or experience? And that doesn’t have to mean a professional, paid experience. Some could have volunteered to help others and gained valuable experience that way.

I always counsel good practitioners in a particularized area when they ask – How could I get paid to consult with others? I tell them to start helping friends and treating it as a paid engagement. Do a few of those and see if your process holds up and if it helps them. Gain experience in small ways with a variety of clients as you go. Then start selling your service.

Caution: Some enter this realm with little experience or track record. Check out their references well.

3.??????The final big issue – Are they a culture fit? Do you have chemistry with this person?

• This does not mean you have total agreement and alignment with the person. But there is enough chemistry and culture fit where conversations can naturally engage at deeper levels.

The consulting partner is ready to learn your church’s culture, and you have enough chemistry with them to have meaningful conversations.

• They are willing to absorb your history, the church’s unique attributes, and the geographical nuances.

All churches have a storyline, and that storyline matters. And while I grew up in the south, I have come to understand some of the nuances around the country that must be accounted for and addressed. Yes, New Yorkers are different from Californians in mindset.

Leadership conversations often start at different places, depending on the context. Make sure your consultant understands that and can adapt to you and your church’s unique context.

OK, what would you add? I would love to hear what you have learned. Drop me a line at?[email protected]

By the way – The Rest of the Story.

The church hired that person to help them. Unfortunately, they were weak on numbers 1 and 3. It was a disaster. Lessons learned.

“We won’t do that again,” the pastor.

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Dave Travis?has advised large church pastors, boards, and staff for over 30 years.?Almost 25 years were with Leadership Network, where he led the large church area and then retired as CEO in 2018.?

Since then, he has worked with dozens of churches and their leaders, helping guide them to solve wicked, sticky challenges through his role as Director of Strategic Counsel to Pastors and Church Boards at Generis.?

He has created multiple processes in that role, including the Pastor Smart Succession Process, Storycrafting for Church Strategy, and Building Better Boards. His latest is the Pastor Legacy Life Plan, a coaching process to help mid-career pastors for their future legacy seasons.?

He has mangled the English language to embarrass his English teacher mother and assemble 11 books, booklets, and e-books. Dozens sold, half dozens read.