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Many training departments are expanding their role to include performance consulting. Some trainers are even referring to themselves as performance consultants. Unfortunately, when you hear the term “consultant,” it sometimes brings up a negative connotation. I’m sure you’ve heard it before—a consultant will borrow your watch, tell you what time it is, AND charge by the hour!
True performance consultants excel in two key areas. They have excellent interpersonal skills and can apply a systematic approach to problem solving.
Here’s a typical scenario for a performance consultant: A client approaches with a training request. The consultant determines WHAT is needed to improve performance. They will provide training, if required, AND help the client select and implement non-training solutions, if also required. You see, the role of a performance consultant is to directly support job performance in an organization with a range of solutions that cover all possibilities. If you can do this on a consistent basis, you’ll raise the credibility of your department and your ability to influence others in the organization.
Additional resource: 3 Tips for Transitioning to Performance Consulting [Video]
By the way, if any of you are bold enough to approach a potential client, I can’t think of a better service to offer than this: “Hi client. I can work with you and your department, find out what’s not working well, identify the causes, offer the right solutions, and measure the results of what I’ve done.” Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it’s not. Luckily, in our Consulting Skills for Trainers workshop, we provide a five-step model that sets you up for success.
The Collaborative Performance Improvement Model covers the following areas:
1. Engage Client – We start by engaging with our client. This helps us understand their daily business.
2. Identify Needs – Then we identify needs. This means uncovering exactly what’s not going well.
3. Determine Causes – After that, we can determine causes. We use a systematic troubleshooting process to find the root cause of each performance issue.
4. Implement Solutions – Then we can implement solutions that address the causes we identified earlier.
5. Measure Results – Finally, we measure the results of the solutions we implemented.
But this is only half of the equation. Every consultant knows a successful experience also depends on our interactions with others. This is why we also address interpersonal skills. It’s imperative to manage our interactions. Here we have a four-step model to set you up for success.
1. Prepare Yourself – First, we set a goal and determine what we want to achieve with the interaction. We also prepare to work collaboratively.
2. Interact with Others – Here, we develop rapport, ask questions, listen, and observe.
3. Reflect on the Interaction – Afterwards, we reflect on how the situation stands, how others behaved, and how we behaved.
4. Adjust Your Approach – Finally, we create an action plan to adjust our approach and focus on the things we will do differently in the future.
Making the transition to performance consulting is just one way to add value to your organization. Some of you may already be doing this work, without the title. Have you made the formal transition? How did it go? Let’s hear your success stories. And don’t worry, no need to share your hourly rate!