By Chris Gandy

It goes without saying that we believe you will receive exceptional value by engaging a Cause & Effective Associate as a consultant. However, to extract every last drop of benefit from the engagement you and your team need to also play a part by:

• Clearly defining the objectives of the project and articulating them to the consultant.
• Being realistic in what you expect, especially in terms of timeframes.
• Ensuring the availability of any supporting resources and or information.
• Being a champion of the project both internally and externally.
• Taking the consultant into your confidence
• Treating the consultant as a colleague and being open to any challenges they may throw your way.
• Listening to what they have to say and providing feedback. Then be firm in your preferred course of action if required, recognising it is your business!
• Evaluating the outcomes with the consultant.
• Being open to allowing the consulting relationship to develop into a long term one. The more the consultant understand you, your team and organisation the more valuable they will become as a business partner.

Working with consultants should be a valuable and rewarding experience for your Cause. Make sure you get the beast from your investment.

About Chris:  Chris Gandy is the founder and director of Cause and Effective – a provider of contingent resourcing and leadership search services to cause-based organisations