The Ideal Consulting Client

Recently I was challenged to consider the question,  “What is your ideal consulting client”. The answer should have rolled off my tongue, seeing that consulting is what I do with the bulk of my time.  But it didn’t. So I began to search for the answer by looking at the things I value.

My book, A Guide to Governing Charities won the Canadian Leadership Book of the Year in 2012. On occasion I have been with a friend who has introduced me to someone as an award winning author. After the obligatory congratulations are expressed, the question is asked, “So what is the book about”? “It’s about governing charities” I mumble. The immediate reply is something like “it sounds interesting”, followed by the details of their visit to the vet so their chihuahua could be treated for a blocked intestine.

The only thing that my consulting services to boards and vets working with constipated chihuahuas have in common is a felt need. Something is happening or not happening resulting in a lot of noise but little progress. Potential clients do not see my services and say “Wow, I would like that.” It is more often fuelled by a problem that does not appear to have an easy solution.  My services are only of interest and value to leaders and directors of churches and mission organizations or those who influence them. So engaging ideal clients within an already limited demographic is somewhat challenging, but not unheard of.  After all you are reading this blog.

Governance issues are seldom seen as a problem in themselves. They evidence themselves in other ways such as dissatisfaction with the leader or directors feeling irrelevant. But boards may not see this as a governance issue.

So my role is to help the potential client describe the problem and then describe the solution in a way that can be measured or stated in relation to how a similar event in the future would be improved. Things will be better because this won’t happen or that would be handled in a different way.

The ideal client is the board of a mission agency, church, school or camp that is not satisfied with where it is and wants to move from where it is to where it wants to be.