Should you Hire an External Consultant?**

Jake works for an insurance conglomerate as an internal learning and development consultant who specializes in designing and delivering programs for managers and supervisors to improve their leadership skills. He works on a team consisting of five other internal consultants who have other specialties.

Jake is a charismatic communicator who creates a welcoming environment when training and has a consistent track record of high scores in his session evaluations. He’s recognized as a top performer in his department and also works to develop and nurture relationships across the conglomerate. He has earned the trust of many of the company’s senior leaders.

Now the company is preparing to launch a management trainee program to accelerate the development of recent hires for managerial roles across divisions. Jake was looking forward to this new program and expected to be selected to design and implement it, but he has just learned that the company hired Camille, an external consultant, to design and facilitate the new program.

Why bring in an external consultant?

Companies such as Jake’s have the infrastructure to design and deliver a wide range of learning and development programs, particularly those that are offered regularly. Still, these companies may need to expand their bench strength for specific areas. In contrast, other (often smaller) companies lack the resources to satisfy the development needs of their employees and thus rely on external consultants to provide those services on a recurring basis.

Consider the following 12 criteria when deciding if an external consultant is your best option.

• Specialization. External consultants bring a level of expertise that is usually not available inside organizations where learning and development staff have to be versed in multiple subject areas often at the expense of depth.
• Credibility. Their reputation in the field precedes them and thus certain audiences, such as executives, tend to be more receptive to what they have to say.
• New perspectives. External consultants have to learn about the business, so they ask the questions that need to be asked and bring alternatives to move the business forward.
• Objectivity. They are not burdened by the history and interpersonal politics of organizations and can offer unbiased suggestions to address issues.
• Vast repertoire of examples and stories. They are exposed to different scenarios on a daily basis and can draw from those experiences to emphasize points during sessions.
• Customized solutions. They use their previous experience handling similar situations with other clients and tailor their solutions to address specific client needs.
• Current learning and development methodologies. They dedicate time and resources to their own development to introduce best practices to their clients.
• Difficult situations. External consultants are not bound by reporting relationships or company hierarchy so they can handle confrontations openly.
• Cost effectiveness. They only work when their services are needed, so businesses can have significant savings in payroll and overhead costs.
• Flexibility in scheduling. They are available to deliver services according to the client’s hours of operation and requests without interfering with regular tasks that other staff need to complete.
• Trust. Participants tend to be more open and share experiences and situations with external consultants.
• Politics. Internal politics sometimes get in the middle of the learning process. Bringing the external consultant is a way to give the participant an opportunity to feel safe.

Let’s return to Jake’s example.

Jake is a high performer in his department. However, the new management trainee program calls for different skills. Unknown to Jake, the company required a quick turnaround for the program’s implementation to strengthen its talent pipeline for business continuity. The company needed someone with a track record of designing and implementing these programs, preferably with measurable impact on the business’s bottom line.

Camille had the profile that Jake’s company needed. She is accustomed to working with executives and senior leaders and speaks the language of business. She has a reputation for prompting others to think differently by asking the right questions. Further, Camille just finished deploying a similar program in an international financial services corporation, which was beginning to see the return on investment of her fees.

What would you do?

As Jake’s manager, you have the responsibility to position your decision to bring Camille on board in such a way that Jake and the other internal consultants see her as an asset instead of as a threat. You need to answer their questions and pave the way for an effective partnership between your team and Camille. Any unanswered questions about her role could easily become obstacles for the success of your new program.
We recommend the following steps to make the relationship with an external consultant work right from the start.

• Be specific about the consultant’s scope of work and deliverables. Define what they will do, for how long, when, and where. Agree on what materials they will prepare, how they will do so, and to whom the materials belong when the project ends. Describe also what they will not do.
• Emphasize that internal and external consultants complement each other and are not competitors. Focus on their similarities and on how they contribute to the success of the business.
• Identify a point of contact for external consultants. Answer their questions promptly so they can deliver as agreed.
• Allow external consultants to know the business and its culture. They need to go beyond printed and online materials to address specific issues.
• Request confidentiality agreements. Specify what information they can share, as well as with whom, how, and when to avoid misunderstandings with other employees and key individuals.

As with any other business decision, you must weigh the advantages and disadvantages and take into account that the decision lies on what is better for the business.
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Have you hired external consultants? What were your deciding factors? Share your thoughts and experiences in the Comments section below.

**originally published in www.td.org/newsletters/atd-links