I frequently consult with churches, elder boards, staff teams, search teams, individual youth workers, youth ministry organizations and recently I have even had the opportunity to do some ideation, strategic thinking and scenario planning with the training division of a fortune 500 company.

I choose not to make my living at consulting, although at times I have entertained the idea, unlike my friend Mark Riddle. There are consultants (advisers on specific projects, themes or issues) and then there are consultants like Mark and others (guides who can advise on themes/issues as needed but go beyond giving advice and help work out a process for change in a more holistic way). The “process” consultants are far and few between.

Most of the time I find that consulting is hard work. It is great fun, but really hard work. Nothing really comes easy to the consultant. Consultants (good ones) need a myriad of skills to be successful. I think there are really three biggies and to be honest I think they are really intuitive or natural abilities. I supposed they can be learned at some level but as it relates to the following three skills I think one either has it or she doesn’t — which is why people like Riddle are far and few between.

The three biggies are… A) the ability to develop relationships, B) the ability to see the whole picture (systemic issues vs. symptom issues) and C) the ability to provide a clear way forward to achieve the stated goal(s) until completion.

Most consultants make a good first and second impression because they are “relational” people. But it is the ability to develop relationships or cause them to evolve for the good of everyone that keeps the consultant working. I find that most people don’t want to do the hard work of developing the relationships — even relational people.

Most people can see a problem or identify what is broken, that is the easy part. Finding the root cause of the problem is much harder. A good process consultant has the ability to identify what lies below the surface. Uncovering the chief cause(s) is critical to successful consulting.

Also, recommending suggestions to achieve goals is only the beginning. The ability to provide a clear plan and path to completion is yet another. Most can see A and Z but they have no idea how to get from A to Z.

Yesterday I took an “unknown number”. I rarely do this. I was expecting a call from my insurance guy, I thought it might be him, so I took it. It wasn’t him. Instead, it was a youth worker I met at the National Youth Worker Convention in St. Louis. He is a cool guy and it was good to connect with him again. I grabbed some coffee with his youth staff when I was in St. Louis which is how he had my number I suppose.

He was calling to ask me how he could be a consultant. “I feel like I am better at helping people do it than an I am doing it”, is how he framed up his thinking. I was kind to him. I listened to him tell me all the reasons why he would make a great consultant and then I encouraged him to take a couple of weeks and really think about his statement above. I also told him that I would give some thoughts on my blog… so, (name) here they are!!

I have found that people like the idea of consulting but one they get into the thick of it really don’t like the work of it — it is harder than just doing the work. Why? Because as I said, a process consultant not only maps out the next steps, she walks alongside the client until the work is done. A process consultant has a dual role.

This youth worker’s call was the 4th call in the month of December in which I have been asked, “What does it take to be a consultant?” In light of that, here are a few things to think about for those of you who want to be a consultant…

1. Do the hard work of assessing your skill-set. Don’t assess who you are and what you offer as a would-be consultant on your own. This is where a lot of people think they can be a consultant but later realize that consulting isn’t what they thought it was or maybe even they are not the person that they thought they were. You must become aware of your skill-set by allowing others who work closely with you to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Don’t believe the lies you tell yourself. We all think more highly of our gifts than we should. Get the opinion of the people who work with you. The people who work with you stand to be more objective about you than you will be…
2. Ask yourself this question… “Do people seek my input now?” If people are not coming to you for your insight, evaluation, problem solving, etc. now, chances are you are not seen by others as the resident “consultant”. If you are not the “resident consultant”, in most cases, you shouldn’t expect to be the traveling one either…
3. Know your areas of expertise. There are probably three to five areas (maybe more, maybe less) that you could possibly consider yourself an expert in. Good consultants are not “one-size fits all” type people. Rather, a good consultant knows what she is good at and what she isn’t and provides help to others within those clear boundaries. If you try to be all things to all people, you will quickly reveal your lack of expertise…
4. Remember this… consulting is more about listening than it is telling. Are you a good listener? Can you be quiet long enough to get the feel or the pulse on a situation? Listening and serving are two very important traits to remember and be about as it relates to being a good process consultant.
5. The money that you may make as a consultant isn’t based on ideas and problem solving. The money you make on consulting is based on achieved outcomes and goals… things that “work”. If you don’t want to walk the long road with others, sticking your neck out on the line while you walk, then you can’t be a consultant. Remember this… good consultants have a dual role. On one hand they create a plan based on sound ideas, etc. and on the other hand they get people or groups from A to Z. If you want to keep getting paid for consulting, what you suggest and help implement must work…
6. Lastly, with number 5 in mind, know that when you are a consultant you are not only the expert you are the excuse. In other words, if things don’t work out in the end, it won’t be the clients lack of execution, it’ll be solely based on your ability to negotiate the plan and navigate people through its completion. You will either be the expert that worked out or the excuse that didn’t.

So, there you go… from one part-time consultant to those of you who want to be one. I suggest to you the brief and honest ideas above to think on before you leap into the world of consulting.