Séamus T. Ó Séaghdha is Vice President of Business Development at Pathways Consulting Group.
Getty
Personal and business transformations are often intertwined. Many individuals yearn for success in every aspect of their lives, but fail to consider that transformational progress simply cannot be achieved in one giant leap.
For change and progress to be possible, the many smaller components must first be taken apart and understood. At my own company, Pathways Consulting Group, CEO and co-founder Mary Manzo has built this philosophy into the foundation of the organization, drawing on her years of experience on the technology side of business as well as people management.
In this article, I’ll explore four people-centered innovative qualities that organizations should strive for when considering partnering with a consulting firm.
1. Look for an aligned team capable of providing innovative strategies to improve your company’s day-to-day operations.
A robust consulting solution should provide clients with a team of high-level consultants who can help them innovate their day-to-day operations. This level of capability requires an aligned team that can quickly grasp the maturity of their unique environment and apply their skills and experience to help you continue to innovate—and become an extension of your own team.
A powerful solution will provide much more than just a body that performs the task. Leaders should consider the degree of collaboration that takes place within the company itself. Will your solution consist of a few captive contract workers working alone? A committed and aligned team can be critical to the success of your company’s vision.
2. Experience is key.
Leaders should ensure that a potential consulting firm has access to senior-level individuals with decades of experience behind them. An experienced team will be able to find the best solution for your business. A strong consulting solution should provide a dedicated and fully developed support team, enabling businesses to leverage existing resources and leverage outsourced resources to drive innovation and keep their business moving forward. Your mission is to implement projects with expert staff and see timely responses to business goals.
3. Consider solutions that offer ongoing support while your strategies are implemented.
An effective consulting solution should offer teams a growth path and ongoing education and training to ensure they are always learning and able to fine-tune their skills. Leaders should look for solutions that can provide the highest level of training and certification. Retention should also be a key focus of a strong consulting solution: The company itself should place a strong emphasis on culture and our core values - being both collaborative and exceptional. You also want the company’s own resource management to be monitored very carefully so that they can ensure that you are able to leverage the right individuals with the right skill set to meet your needs.
4. To find the consulting firm best able to optimize your processes, assess the scope of their vision.
Business transformation involves fundamental changes in the way an organization functions. While some solutions may focus solely on the enterprise developer, more powerful ones can offer applications for those from across your organization, including business analysts, architects, testers, program and program management, and platform subject matter experts.
When considering partnering with a consulting firm, leaders should opt for people-centric offerings that can truly “teach your team to fish.” After the first few projects, through education and training, you should feel more self-sufficient.
A strong consulting firm should help you grow your staff using the best people.
In any scenario, a strong consulting firm will understand that their applications go beyond the individual sitting across from them – they extend to the entire team behind them. That’s the level of understanding and support you want to see when considering partnering with a counseling group.
The Forbes Business Development Council is an invitation-only community for sales executives and business developers. do I qualify?