The previous post on Coach or Consultant? may have mistakenly given the impression that consultants are bad. Far from it. The intent of that post was to differentiate consultants and coaches.
When do you want a consultant and when do you want a coach?
You want a consultant when the organisation does not have the required skills and only needs those skills occassionally.
How often do we renovate our homes? Not often for most people. This means it is not worth the effort for most of us to develop the architectural, interior design or contractor management skills required to successfully renovate our homes. We need a consultant in the form of an interior designer or building contractor. We do not need a coach.
Consider a sporting team. Any team needs to know how to play the sport. They do not regularly need a surgeon to deal with knee injuries or a motivational speaker. These are consultants they engage when required.
You want a coach when the skills are central to your business on an on-going basis.
All businesses need management. It is core and central to the success of any business. That is why to strengthen the management team you want to employ an organisational coach or a management coach (executive coach) not an consultant. Coaches are people who build the capability in the organisation.
The sports coach helps the team become stronger. The coach is not on the field playing the game. To be successful the players must have the ability to win the game.
Don't be afraid to use a consultant when you need one.
Smart business people know when to go for advice and skills they don't have. In these situations, get a consultant.
However please don't get a consultant to help you develop skills that are central to your business. For that you need a coach.
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