I recently had the opportunity to sit on the “other side of the table” and interview prospective strategic planning consultants for an organization on whose board I sit. I learned a great deal from that experience about what makes a good consultant. It is that rare combination of clarity (written proposal presents a clear process and scope), creativity (ability to envision different creative possibilities for managing the project), authority (being clear about what their expertise is) and deference (admitting what they don’t know).
In this particular case, each of the consultants had very different proposals and approaches, yet each possessed these skills, making it a difficult choice! We had tried to prepare as much as possible by drafting a set of criteria we would use to evaluate them, and drafting a set of questions to draw on in the interview. In the end though, what was more important was having them start off by walking us through their process, which led us to the right questions to ask.
In the interview, it is important for the consultant to answer questions clearly, be able to walk the organization through their proposed process succinctly and communicate some of their philosophy – the “why” behind their choices. It is also important that the consultant listen carefully to the prospective client, and pick up on what they are saying. Ultimately, the client wants to feel that the consultant has effectively “facilitated” the interview, as it gives them a sense of the consultant as a facilitator.
In this instance, we got a sense of facilitation skills from the way each consultant managed the interview conversation. We also got a sense of personality traits – whether they listened well, answered clearly, had a sense of humor, etc.
And of course, as unscientific as it can seem, a lot of the selection process comes down to chemistry. In our meeting after the interviews, there was discussion about who would our board and staff work with best, whose style seemed like the best fit, who gave us the greatest confidence about the outcomes of our project. All very hard to quantify or measure or compare, but nonetheless crucial to the decision-making process.
So when interviewing consultants keep three things in mind:
- Prepare a good, clear RFP so you are comparing “apples to apples”
- Read the proposals and interview candidates with an eye toward some of the traits outlined above.
- Trust your instincts.
Good luck!
