David Fields - The Executive’s Guide to Consultants: How to Find, Hire and Get Great Results from Outside Experts

THE
EXECUTIVES
GUIDE TO
CONSULTANTS

How to
FIND, HIRE, and GET
GREAT RESULTS
from OUTSIDE EXPERTS

DAVID A. FIELDS

Copyright 2013 by David A. Fields. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

e-ISBN: 978-0-07-180193-5
e-MHID: 0-07-180193-6

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For my parents, whose counsel and guidance have
always been worth seeking. They are the epitome
of high-value, outside experts.

Contents

S ince I am an outside expert who, for nearly 30 years, has provided executive coaching for a living, this book by David Fields is highly interesting to me. It is an examination of the other side of consulting work: what organizations should seek from consulting work and how to hire the best external expert so that a win-win is achieved for the organization and the consultant.

Interestingly enough, Davids intention is to help executives get great results from outside experts like me and, as one of those outside experts, I find our outlook on how to work together is very similar. One thing that I would emphasize from this book is that when hiring an external consultant, do not describe the needs of the organization and then ask the consultant if he or she is qualified to handle this type of challenge. Rather, begin by asking the consultant to describe his or her area of specialty. For example, my own area of expertise involves helping successful leaders achieve positive, lasting change in leadership behavior.

My credentials are fairly well known. I was recently recognized as the Most Influential Leadership Thinker in the world at the Thinkers 50 Conference (sponsored by Harvard Business Review ), and I am one of a select few executive advisors who have been asked to work with more than 120 major CEOs and their management teams. I dont do strategic, functional, technical, how-to-give speeches, or how-to-get-organized coaching. There is nothing wrong with these; they are just not what I do, and I know that. What do your potential external consultants do? Do they know exactly what they do, and is it what you need?

Personally, I have had requests that border on the insane. A pharmaceutical company recently asked me to coach a potential head of R&D. When I asked about the major challenge faced by the person, I was told, He is not updated on medical technology! I replied, Neither am I!

I cannot help a bad scientist become a good one. If your organization needs help in marketing or finance, the consultant who is hired should be an expert in providing advice in that field. And, be careful from whom you ask advice, especially in areas of strategy. Far too many experts pretend to be knowledgeable about strategic coaching when their backgrounds show that they are not qualified to give advice on strategy. While I am not an expert on strategy, at least I know enough to know that I am not an expert!

In The Executives Guide to Consultants , David offers practical, proven lessons that, when applied, will meld clients and consultants into a single team, with unified objectives and a shared passion for winning. Practice what you learn here and youll reap outstanding results, spare yourself and your organization hours upon hours of misspent time and money, and find true success for yourself, your organization, and your team.

Life is good.

Marshall Goldsmith,
million-selling author of the
New York Times bestsellers, MOJO and
What Got You Here Wont Get You There

T his book would never have come to fruition without the generous support of dozens of individuals, all of whom have my deepest gratitude. My family, of course, has provided stalwart support throughout the project. Robin Epstein, my partner, bolstered my resolve countless times over the years to publish a book. My siblings, Ruth and Derek, and my parents believed in my talent as an author even when the words werent flowing and the concepts were maddeningly out of reach. My sons, Mitchel and Jeremy, provided ongoing inspiration even if they didnt know it.

I have the good fortune to be part of a community of elite consultants who have provided insights and support in many forms over the course of this project. Alan Weiss, the architect of the community and one of the most brilliant consultants I have ever met, deserves credit for attracting the best of the best. Many of his ideas served as a springboard for the thinking in these pages and are sprinkled throughout the book. Alex Goldfayn, Roberta Matuson, and Donna Brighton all are members of that community and deserve special mention for their help. Outstanding consultants outside of Alans community also helped, including Michael Clingan, Bob Endres, Jeff Hill, John Lindeman, and Jamie Barrickman, without whom I never would have learned critical lessons about consulting.