Finding a Good Fit: Selecting a Personal or Organizational Consultant
Posted on September 28, 2017 by Kitty Fallon, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
This article walks you through personal, situational, and goal reflections to help you identify your optimal fit for a coach or consultant.
Choosing a personal or organizational consultant or coach is a significant investment of your time, energy, and resources. May these reflections support your finding someone who is a good fit for your needs and vision.
Begin with you
• Reflect on your current situation.
o What inspired you to consider working with someone now? Where are you feeling hopeful, constricted or pressured? What’s wanting to give way? What are your most pressing fears or yearnings? What type of issues are you facing – process (e.g., relational dynamic issues) our content issues (e.g., needing specific focused expertise)? Is this a crisis needing immediate attention? If not, how could this work interrupt a crisis? These can be signs of something waiting to emerge, skills yet to be enhanced, or future directions just beyond your horizon.
• Vision possibilities and needs for movement
o Vision where you would like to see yourself in 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. Really brainstorm, inviting your inner critic and editors to step back a moment. After some free dreaming, notice patterns and intuitively what most resonates with you? Identify your top needs, wishes, and, challenges in moving from your status quo to your vision.
• What’s it worth to you?
o Reflect on your level of commitment? If nothing else changes, what will I gain or lose? If something changes, what might I gain or lose? What are you willing and able to invest to create your next chapter? Consider where you might need to stretch: time, financial commitments, relationships, etc. For example, creating a range of what you are willing and able to invest for coaching or consulting can help when selecting someone.
Build your team
• Who could be a good fit?
o Based on your insights about your status quo and having envisioned untapped possibilities, identify the key strengths in a personal or organizational consultant that could best support you realizing your vision. Identify particular skill sets or experiences you need a consultant to share to best address your needs. Consider the context and working relationship that could help you succeed? Do you or your team work best in person or can you work well virtually? What’s your timeline for getting started?
• How can I find a good fit?
o Cast a wide net. Consultation and coaching services are offered often at a distance and can include travel to you or your travelling for specialized services. Conduct a national – even international – search to identify a good fit.
o Getting a first impression. If you do not know a consultant personally, check out their website and other social media presences. Intuitively, how do you respond to the content? Do you feel drawn to this person or engage positively with that they have to offer? Do they advertise the skill sets you seek? Do they work in the ways that fit you best (e.g. work virtually, willing to travel to you, etc.)? Do they fall within your budget range?
o Interview a few consultants virtually or in person. Based on your needs and priorities, develop a list of questions that enable you best to determine a good fit for you. Identify for yourself how you will know your top candidate? What will you know; how will you feel about them; how will you feel about the potential for working together? Hopefully you will feel inspired and ready to get going!
o Compare and choose!
May this support you as you choose a resource who inspires you to realize your essential brilliance and untapped potential!
