We live in an age of consultants, analysts and experts, all waiting in the wings to tell you how to run your business better. How many of these people should you engage with to get anything meaningful in return?
You wouldn’t obtain all your news information from just one source, but I wonder how many businesses actually consider an amalgamation of consultants’ voices, rather than just the one?
What the experts are good at, is offering a qualified fresh pair of eyes and as such, can suggest a new approach that will hopefully rectify or at least mitigate current bad practice. They clarify things that cannot always be seen by those at the coalface.
But these people are not God. They don’t know your business better than you, and are only one voice in a sea of experts. For anything meaningful, seek out several views and don’t just buy into the first.
Also, unless they have a genuine, experienced working (and I mean working) background in your area, at best the advice will be generic or theoretical. You don’t just want a management textbook regurgitated back at you.
These people are oil for your business engine, so make sure you buy the right mix.