Practical Consulting Tools for the Independent Consultant

In my last blog post, I wrote about the personal category of consulting tools. Tools like EQ, observational power and listening skills are crucial to your success as a consultant, and you can't ignore them if you want to provide results. Today, I'd like to get into more “concrete” and practical tools for consulting such as analytics, reports and assessments.

As a consultant, you need to be able to get good, actionable information from a number of sources. Of course, you're going to spend some time interviewing the leader of an organization for his or her perspective, but it would be a mistake to base your analysis of an organization solely on a single conversation. In fact, you may not be able to fully trust what the leader has to say, especially if the organization you've been hired to help is in serious trouble – the leader might actually be part of the problem. That's why using as many inputs as possible is so important.

Add These Practical Consulting Tools to Your Toolbox

How can you increase the number of inputs that you have for getting information about an organization? I recommend using the following consulting tools.

• Analytics

  Analytics is a broad term that refers to metrics and data that tell you about a company's performance. Obviously, you want to talk to as many people as possible in an organization to gain a sense of its positive and negative attributes. But if you want to be able to provide results that can truly help an organization improve, you need some hard data. By getting into real statistics and figures, you can craft a plan that incorporates both the views and opinions of leadership personnel as well as the indisputable facts about its performance. Find tools that give you great data, and use them to your advantage.

• Reports

  If your data and analysis isn't packaged properly, it's not going to help you improve the performance of an organization. That's why you should be able to turn analytics data and other information into reports that lay out a company's needs in a way in which everyone can understand. You might be able to know and understand a solution within the confines of your own mind, but you have to develop a methodology for putting together management reports. For instance, at Ex3 Matters, we use a tool that we call “stewardship reports,” which help our clients see what progress is being made as we analyze and implement solutions. Reports like this are essential if you want to ensure that your solutions are implemented properly.

• Assessments

  In my last blog post, which covered less tangible consulting tools, I mentioned the importance of EQ, or emotional intelligence. EQ is a tricky thing to measure and understand, though, which is why you should use assessments that accurately measure certain attributes and qualities of an organization and its people. In addition to EQ assessments, Ex3 Matters teaches consultants how to use leadership and organizational assessments, as well. These tools, when used in conjunction with other practical consulting tools, give you the power to make a great case for the implementation of your solutions. It's important to remember, however, that these assessments should provide a third-party perspective that won't be open to interpretation.

Build Your Toolbox and Know How to Use It

When you combine these practical consulting tools with the personal tools I've written about, you can build a powerful toolbox that will allow you to repair just about any organizational problem. Having these tools will impress clients, but knowing how to use them properly will help you ensure that you provide real, positive results. Remember that these tools are only as powerful as your ability to use them the right way. It's up to you to build your toolbox and learn how to use it for maximum effect.

If you'd like to learn more about building the perfect set of consulting tools, Ex3 Matters has many resources available. Download our free consulting guides for some in-depth information about the realities of consulting as a profession, and get your copy of Buddy Hobart's free eBook, “Experience Matters,” for a deeper look at the insights provided here.