The 'Whats What' on Coaching & Consulting Support

What type of a person are you…do it yourself or have someone else do it for you?
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Perhaps it’s situational as sometimes, well who am I kidding – most of the time – I like to think I can do things myself.  However, when it comes to business, I find that I learn something new every day, which helps me acknowledge the fact that I don't know it all and there's a lot to learn.

When we’re faced with a situation where you don't know something in business or can’t do it on our own, where do you go from there? 

When faced with a situation where they need help, many entrepreneurs and business owners tend to use their network to find people who perform well in the area they need help in, to come in and support them with the task at hand. This support arrangement is typically referred to as consulting (or services in the technical marketplace). 

A consultant comes in as a hired gun and fulfills an important role by offering support to people or companies that can't do the work themselves, for a variety of reasons. It’s a form of outsourcing and is a $100+ billion industry per year. With that much cash flying around, it's clear consulting is not just important, but there’s an incredibly strong demand for it in the market.

There’s a lot of ways businesses can get work done, consulting being one of the many options.  A growing resource in the business world since the early to mid-nineties, picking up significantly in the last 10 years, is coaching. 
Consulting... coaching... what’s the difference?

For starters, consultants do the work themselves, taking care of a specific task or project.  They are brought in to do the work themselves, and they typically dictate how the work is to be performed. A coach utilizes a very different approach by teaching the individual or business how to perform better in the areas they struggle in. Like a sports coach, a business coach improves their ‘players’ so they can perform better, not just in the moment, but also in the future.  

You might be thinking…which is better?  Unfortunately, it’s not a black and white answer as both services provide a different outcome and are often used for different purposes. As the old saying goes, “you can give (consulting) a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, or you can teach (coaching) a man to fish, and he’ll eat for the rest of his life”.  Sometimes people might need help with a set task, and it isn't an integral part of their business, in that situation consulting support is a great option. Perhaps a business owner or a manager struggles with leading their workforce to a higher level of achievement. In this scenario coaching would be the suggested way of support as with coaching the professional gets one-on-one development support, increasing their competency in the area they struggled in. As a result, the individual getting help comes out better and so does their team.

While both support options can help businesses get to the next level, there are a variety of things you need to be aware of before making the decision to utilize either of these support services. These seven items are the bare bones minimums you need to consider BEFORE you bring on a consultant or coach:

1. Why do you want the help? (If you can't articulate to yourself why you want the help, you'll struggle explaining it to another person which in turn most likely won't produce the results you're looking for.)
2. There’s 1,000+ support options, but which is right for you? (With so many consultants and coaches out there it’s advisable you select one that understands your business and has had experience supporting similar businesses prior. To find the right expertise, a great place to start are industry associations that support your specific business.)
3. Certifications don’t necessarily produce positive outcomes (In the coaching world in particular, there’s a lot of people claiming they’re experts because they have a certificate to prove it, case in point there’s dozens of associations one can join for a nominal fee, do the course work, take a test, and there you have it they’re now a 'coach'. I’m a firm believer that in most business settings, hands-on experience is better than what someone may have read out of a textbook.)
4. Have a formal agreement in place (Here’s free advice... don’t ever go into a business arrangement without some sort of services or partnership agreement in place. The one time you need it you’ll be thankful you spent the time to set up the working relationship correctly.)
5. Set benchmarks based on a predetermined and agreed upon timelines (as the user of the consulting or coaching service you always want to be able to maintain control over what is happening; when you agree upon predetermined timelines for work and each party signs off on it you’re much more likely to get what you need without paying additional money for overtime work or extended timelines)
6. Additional fees (can’t say this one enough, make sure you understand the nature of the relationship you’re entering and what is included and what isn’t; overtime rates, travel time, per diem, work outside the normal scope, etc. are just some of the items you’ll most likely be faced with that could lead to additional money being shelled out)
7. Agreed upon outcomes (different from a ‘predetermined timeline’, it’s important you and the other party speak about what success looks like before you enter into the partnership; once both sides know what they’re working towards it’s much easier to accomplish it – as well as it builds in a foundation of accountability; make sure this language finds its way into your new partnership agreement you've put together)

You may have just read these seven items and thought to yourself, “I’m not going to use one of those services, it sounds like a headache”.  I can assure you, if done properly, utilizing outside support can be one of the best decisions you make to help elevate your game, business and general efficiencies.  Making wise and educated decisions before you bring in support of any kind will significantly increase your chances for positive outcomes and a better you (or your business).