Consultants - why we're not all bad

While furiously networking at an event the other day, it occurred to me that I do feel slightly embarrassed to admit that I’m a consultant. There’s something in that vaguely innocuous three syllable word that I’m sure sends shivers down many a spine.

Is it me, or can I see something in people’s eyes, which says: “Uh oh, prepare to be bored...”? Now I may be paranoid, but there is some truth in the rather unflattering reputation that precedes us consultants. We can be horribly officious and condescending in our manner and tediously dry in our approach to business.

I base this on my own experiences of the many consultants, who have tried to harangue me at exhibitions in the past. In one particularly chilling incident, an HR consultant attempted to prove his superior intellect with the opening gambit: “I’m going to ask you a question that you won’t know the answer to. But give it a go anyway.” And then proceeded to bear bait me for half an hour until I finally had to admit that yes, indeed, he was cleverer than I and no, I had not a fair clue what I was talking about. If I had been an onlooker, surely I would have rushed over with a zoo sized net and thrown it over this man shouting “No, no, no, no. That is NOT how you do business!”

Why did no-one save me from his patronage?

The greatest error that you can make as a consultant is to be a know-it-all - to sweep into an organisation/conversation/room, with all the tact and sensitivity of Katie Price. Surely we are better than that? A good consultant will recognise that yes, they do know their stuff. Indeed they should know a lot about business and their particular area of expertise. But they do not know everything and are certainly no better than the people or businesses they’re trying to assist.

A good consultant should recognise that they are an enabler and by quashing a person’s confidence they will never help that person or their business succeed.

What I hope is that 2nd Head will practise exactly what we preach, that we will provide the support and objectivity that businesses need to plan for growth. But we will do so sensitively and with empathy.

We enjoy working in businesses and the challenges they present. So I hope you don’t mind, but we intend to have fun too.