How do independent professionals, vendors, and consultants fit into organizations and become valued resources to each other?
“The measure of a great leader is to develop those they work with into greater leaders than they themselves are.” I can’t remember who said this but it should be our goal as independent professionals to better the people and thus the organizations we work with / for, not for our own profit but for the success of all.
And so one asks, what is the best way to identify the opportunities that will help our client organizations create a better environment based on our expertise, their expertise, and the synergy of the two? How do we honor the current protocols and systems that are working within an organization and also help move a company up into a new and better paradigm?
One strategy for achieving this is what I refer to as “slicing,” where clients use external support for specific areas of need. The value of the consultant or coach in this instance is in working alongside current Managers to help them achieve their goals and objectives.
Here are four areas where external / internal collaboration can be helpful.
1. Identify best fit candidates for the positions that are being filled. This can be done by initially identifying what each job description is, what the person will be “doing” most of the time in said position, and the key traits necessary for an employee to be successful in this position.
Hiring is one of the most difficult and impactful jobs and external consultants / test vendors are a great resource to provide an objective sounding board.
2. Succession planning. Identifying and setting career / position objectives for current employees as they grow in their expertise and skills.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a plan from the beginning of an employee’s life cycle of:
- where the new employee fits at present
- what value they will bring in the future
- how to get from point A to B
Setting up a plan of action, in turn, will provide employees with a reason and vision for what they are doing now and where they are going in the future. Goals are extremely important in establishing the reason of “why am I here?”
3. Coaching. Providing a safe sounding board for employees, whether they are a manager or an executive. Coaching can focus on behavioral changes necessary for performance, help in re-focusing and energizing someone who is hitting burnout, or working with someone as they make an upward transition into a new position. Internal or external coaches each have their own merit and can complement each other if used correctly.
4. Coaching the Coaches. Wouldn’t it be nice for your internal coaches to have someone they can turn to for an objective perspective on the issues they are helping others work through? External coaches are a valuable resource for internal coaches by providing feedback, perspective, and helpful approaches / tools. They provide a safe, objective sounding-board because they are removed from day-to-day interactions.
Developing solutions that spring from a collaboration of two (or more) talented individuals, internal and external, who are working toward best outcomes for the organization is a powerful paradigm. In this scenario respect and trust are built, people develop and learn new perspectives and skills, which provide for a higher level of expertise both professionally and personally to all involved. Plus, there is a certain amount of energy created from this sort of collaboration – and more energy is always good!
Image: istockphoto
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