Summary

Most nonprofit leaders have worked with a consultant at some stage in their careers. Unfortunately, these relationships are not always fruitful, and new research suggests that there are a number of factors that explain this dissatisfaction. One factor is the fact that consultants are outsiders who can never fully know all the complexities of an organization. Wanting to present themselves as experts, they often fail to involve their clients in diagnosing the problem or devising solutions. As a result, the client becomes an onlooker, instead of remaining firmly in control of the process.

The Background

Let`s see how this might work in practice. Within two years of becoming the executive director of Education Unlimited (a nonprofit that provides mentoring opportunities to low-income children), David Owings noticed that there were some ongoing tensions between members of his staff.

The Solution

To deal with this problem, David brought in a consultant to meet with the staff individually, and then discuss his findings with David. Throughout the process, the consultant provided David with an array of options that David could decide to implement if he wished. This enabled David to choose a solution that was closely tailored to his organization`s needs.

Lessons Learned

Another way to look at this example is to consider the consultant as a participant in the theater of your organization. The board of directors and senior staff may have written the plot, but the actors do not always clearly interpret their roles. One model of consulting has the consultant temporarily take over as the director of the play, but this approach often fails because the consultant never has the full script. In the above example, the consultant plays the less glamorous but equally important role of stage manager, remaining out of the limelight while the play unfolds. With the consultant offering guidance and support from the sidelines, the stars of the play can truly shine.