# Consultants and Mercenaries By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2023-02-09 When dealing with consultants, it's critical to understand their business model and strategy. Ignore the proposal and fancy presentation about the work they'll do for you. These details are fine to review after you understand their intentions. Most consultants find a niche solution and then ride that for the entirety of their careers. Figure out what that niche solution is because it will tell you everything about whether the consultant is right for you. I've been a part of many situations where the consultants had one turnkey model. They would show up, do the song and dance, plug some numbers into their spreadsheet behind the scenes, and then deliver a slightly customized solution to the client. If many clients operate as the spreadsheet model has calculated, this is a great economic business model. The consultant can quickly and effortlessly pump out valuable results at high prices. However, what does the consultant do when there are no more clients who fit the mold? Developing something new is hard, so most consultants take the easy way out: pretend that the assumptions of the model still hold for the other clients. These consultants have entered the realm of snake-oil sales. Here you sell the idea of improvement and then move out before anyone is the wiser. Just be sure to not return. The funny thing is these consultants often are welcomed back many times over. This is due to the placebo effect, organizational systems being hard to measure, and something being better than nothing. This may be fine for your organization, but there is another type of consultant not focused on a niche model or series of models. Instead, these consultants are focused on spreading an idea for a purpose. They will emphasize their beliefs, values, and visions of the future. In all likelihood, they won't have all the answers for your organization. They'll say no more than yes and spend time tailoring solutions for the organization that will challenge the status quo. This is true consultation. All of the other consultants are merely mercenaries with fancy weapons. #### Related Items [[Decision-making]] [[Thinking]] [[Consulting]] [[Organizational Analytics]] [[Business]] [[Systems Thinking]]