Archives by Topic: Growing a business
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The power of hiring a consultant Posted 10-23-09 by Erika
One of the best parts about owning a business is having the power to make it better and better. You’re not forced to endure the frustration of mucking around for years in a system that is set up inefficiently, watching the potential of the organization be squandered because of inertia or resistance to change. When you’re the owner and you see something that could be better, you can make it better! Usually organizational self improvement is a slow, incremental process. But every once in a while an opportunity comes along to accelerate the process to warp speed. Whenever we can, we do this by hiring an expert to consult with us. Fly them in, put them up at a hotel, clear the schedule and get ready to learn, learn, learn. After the end of the few days, we are tired, but energized, and poised to implement a raft of changes that would’ve taken us years to discover on our own. Changes that improve our efficiency, improve our outcomes for our clients and improve our profitability. What’s not to like about that? Why reinvent the wheel? If you know of someone who has been wildly successful in one aspect what you’re trying to do, hire them! Even if they’ve never done consulting, they might well be amenable to being hired as an expert for a few days. It’ll be well worth the investment in airfare and consulting fee. As Nike says: Just do it! CommentsChris Meeker Very interesting article. Thanks! David Eldred
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Consultants, by nature, carry the "authority" of an outside perspective, and as such can be very powerful catalysts for change. However, great businesses don't wait for the consultant's opinion to effect change: they drive it from within -- leverage the power of your own employees, too! If you can instill a sense of "ownership" among employees, not only will they be more effective with their approach to their job, you can generate some awesome ideas, too (and often, at a lot less expense than the consultant's fee.) From what I see of Imagine Group, you've likely got a lot of that going for you already. Great job, Chris and team! |