{"id":2724,"date":"2011-11-02T10:01:18","date_gmt":"2011-11-02T14:01:18","guid":{"rendered":"\/news_blogs\/john\/?p=2724"},"modified":"2024-12-24T07:07:18","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T12:07:18","slug":"when-to-engage-a-consultant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/","title":{"rendered":"When to Engage a Consultant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I\u2019ve had good and bad experiences with <strong>consultants<\/strong> and can share with you some suggestions as to <strong>when to&nbsp;use<\/strong> them and <strong>when to avoid<\/strong> them. The term &#8216;consultant&#8217; captures a wide range of services, a wide range of paradigms that influence their output, and like lawyers and accountants they can be solo practitioners or members of a global firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Types of Consultants<\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>It is helpful to distinguish between the various types:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pure consulting is limited to investigation of a topic or issue, reporting and perhaps recommendations. However, many consultants do much more by performing work that ranges from interviewing customers for market research or doing ongoing work such as HR or IT as part of an outsourcing strategy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Every consultant has paradigms or models\u00a0on which they base their work. You need to understand what their model is to be sure you buy into it. Based on the assignment, the consultant should be\u00a0able to tell you which models they will use to develop their recommendations. Many large consulting firms are famous for developing particular models (such as the\u00a0Boston\u00a0Consulting Group&#8217;s Growth-Share Matrix), so you know these models will loom large in their approach to your issue.\u00a0 Ask consultants which books have influenced them.\u00a0 If you&#8217;ve done any preparatory research on the issue (if you haven&#8217;t done it, do it now!), you should be familiar with the various approaches and issues and will likely have an opinion as to which approach fits best with your situation. At the very least, you will know the questions to ask.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Whether you go with a large firm or an independent consultant depends on your needs and, most of all, your budget. A large firm will likely cost more, but you get the advantage of a consultant with access to a large knowledge bank and associates who can provide specialized expertise if needed. An independent consultant may be less expensive and less committed to a particular model, and therefore be more versatile. For most charities, cost will be the deciding factor in favour of smaller firms or solo practitioners. Just be sure you agree with their basic approach.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">To Use or Not to Use?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some leaders use consultants a lot and others won&#8217;t have anything to do with them. I&#8217;ve heard stories\u00a0of\u00a0consultants messing things up and I&#8217;ve heard\u00a0other stories of consultants who helped organizations\u00a0achieve a significant breakthroughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When should you use a consultant? I googled this question and found lots and lots of advice&#8230;from consultants trying to sell their services! Hardly unbiased&nbsp;advice.&nbsp; I didn&#8217;t find a single buyer of consulting services who wrote about it from their perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I did, however, find a really great book, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.ca\/gp\/product\/1608320359?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwccccorg-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641&amp;creativeASIN=1608320359\">Extract Value from Consultants: How to Hire, Control, and Fire Them<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.assoc-amazon.ca\/e\/ir?t=wwwccccorg-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=15&amp;a=1608320359\" alt=\"\">, written by two consultants that reads like an expos\u00e9 from the inside. Since both have worked for global consulting firms, I guess that&#8217;s what it is! They detail all the tricks of the trade\u00a0that consultants use to hook a client and then squeeze them for more cash as the work progresses. Then the authors tell you how to reverse the tables, fight back and\u00a0extract value from them. If you use consultants, read it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Decide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ve used several consultants over the years at CCCC, so I&#8217;m open to using them, but I am very judicious as to when. As a buyer of consulting services, here are my thoughts about when they are appropriate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A consultant might be handy if you and your staff\u00a0are stumped about a problem and you need a breakthrough. They can draw on what they have learned from numerous clients, they have a fresh perspective, and they have no commitments to the status quo.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consultants provide an independent, objective assessment of a situation and can confirm or disprove your assumptions. They can illuminate any blind spots you might have. On the upside, I hired a consultant who is an expert on Canadian associations. We wanted to know how CCCC is doing from an association perspective and this person had done detailed analysis of more than&nbsp;one hundred associations. He brought a perspective that we could never have ourselves. He said, based on performance metrics, that we are a top-performing association. That&#8217;s good to know. We don&#8217;t have problems that need fixing, just opportunities to exploit. We know where to focus. On the downside, especially for &#8216;quick looks,&#8217; consultants might only get a superficial understanding of your operations and environment. I&#8217;ve seen reports that are simplistic because the authors simply didn&#8217;t get a deep understanding of the nuances and contexts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Outsiders can say things you want said but don&#8217;t want to say yourself. They don&#8217;t have to live with the consequences!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you face a steep, long or expensive learning curve, you can use a consultant who has done it before and who has spread the cost of the learning curve over multiple clients. Just be sure that there is a transfer of knowledge so that when you engage a consultant your own staff learns something. Don&#8217;t simply accept their recommendations. Ask how they arrived at the recommendation. Those are the processes you want to learn.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The work might be something your team could do, but there are higher priorities taking the team&#8217;s time. The work needs to be done, but you just don&#8217;t have the time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your Leadership Responsibility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As a leader, you are always responsible for your decisions. You can&#8217;t delegate decisions to a consultant. It is always up to you to make a decision. Check how they came to make their recommendation and be sure it is based on reasonable&nbsp;assumptions and complete data. Watch out&nbsp;for&nbsp;&#8220;me too&#8221; recommendations. If the consultant is&nbsp;simply following what everyone else is doing, then that is all that you will be doing too. That&#8217;s no way to get ahead! All you&#8217;ll do is&nbsp;catch up to the crowd. You&#8217;ll also have to check their recommendations for feasibility. It&#8217;s easy to make expensive recommendations when it will be paid for by someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My main message is that consultants are not a magic bullet. Don&#8217;t count on them fixing everything that you haven&#8217;t been able to fix. A consultant provides another viewpoint, another option. They are not always right. The real value of a consultant is the new idea or perspective they are\u00a0able to contribute from their specialized knowledge and experience. They can broaden your horizons and make you aware of new possibilities beyond what you are capable of thinking of. You just have to take what they suggest and assess it for yourself to see if it really fits your ministry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ve had good and bad experiences with consultants and can share with you some suggestions as to when to use them and when to avoid them. The term &#8216;consultant&#8217; captures a wide range of services, a wide range of paradigms that influence their output, and like lawyers and accountants they can&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/\" class=\"linkbutton\">More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ts_fic_featured_image_caption":"A hand holding a lit lightbulb. Used with permission. http:\/\/www.freeimages.co.uk","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553,554],"tags":[590,588],"series":[],"class_list":["post-2724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-effective","category-thoughtful","tag-judicious-decision-making","tag-relevant-missional-insight"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>When to Engage a Consultant - CCCC Blogs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When to Engage a Consultant - CCCC Blogs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u2019ve had good and bad experiences with consultants and can share with you some suggestions as to when to&nbsp;use them and when to avoid them. The term &#8216;consultant&#8217; captures a wide range of services, a wide range of paradigms that influence their output, and like lawyers and accountants they can... More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CCCC Blogs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CCCCCharities\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-11-02T14:01:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-12-24T12:07:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Light-Bulb-Freeimages-UK.jpg?fit=2129%2C3200&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2129\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"3200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"John Pellowe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cccccharities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@cccccharities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"John Pellowe\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/john\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/02\\\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/john\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/02\\\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"John Pellowe\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/78129b8fafee8dfe3bb7f3d7c8e33569\"},\"headline\":\"When to Engage a Consultant\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-11-02T14:01:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-24T12:07:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/john\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/02\\\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1151,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/john\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/02\\\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/Light-Bulb-Freeimages-UK.jpg?fit=2129%2C3200&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Judicious Decision-Making\",\"Relevant MIssional Insight\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Effective\",\"Thoughtfulness\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/john\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/02\\\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/john\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/02\\\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/john\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/02\\\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\\\/\",\"name\":\"When to Engage a Consultant - CCCC Blogs\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/john\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/02\\\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/john\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/02\\\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/Light-Bulb-Freeimages-UK.jpg?fit=2129%2C3200&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-11-02T14:01:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-24T12:07:18+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/john\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/02\\\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/john\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/02\\\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/john\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/02\\\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/Light-Bulb-Freeimages-UK.jpg?fit=2129%2C3200&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/Light-Bulb-Freeimages-UK.jpg?fit=2129%2C3200&ssl=1\",\"width\":2129,\"height\":3200,\"caption\":\"Used with permission\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/john\\\/2011\\\/11\\\/02\\\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"When to Engage a Consultant\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/\",\"name\":\"CCCC News &amp; Blogs\",\"description\":\"CCCC Blogs\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Canadian Centre for Christian Charities\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/10\\\/260wbRGB.png?fit=260%2C260&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/10\\\/260wbRGB.png?fit=260%2C260&ssl=1\",\"width\":260,\"height\":260,\"caption\":\"Canadian Centre for Christian Charities\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/CCCCCharities\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/cccccharities\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/canadian-council-of-christian-charities\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/78129b8fafee8dfe3bb7f3d7c8e33569\",\"name\":\"John Pellowe\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e5439962feafa2554de0378f025969e5215f2a92edf5742f1bf3bed1765d6304?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e5439962feafa2554de0378f025969e5215f2a92edf5742f1bf3bed1765d6304?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e5439962feafa2554de0378f025969e5215f2a92edf5742f1bf3bed1765d6304?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"John Pellowe\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cccc.org\",\"bonnie.pillsworth@cccc.org\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cccc.org\\\/news_blogs\\\/author\\\/john\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"When to Engage a Consultant - CCCC Blogs","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"When to Engage a Consultant - CCCC Blogs","og_description":"I\u2019ve had good and bad experiences with consultants and can share with you some suggestions as to when to&nbsp;use them and when to avoid them. The term &#8216;consultant&#8217; captures a wide range of services, a wide range of paradigms that influence their output, and like lawyers and accountants they can... More","og_url":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/","og_site_name":"CCCC Blogs","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CCCCCharities","article_published_time":"2011-11-02T14:01:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-12-24T12:07:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2129,"height":3200,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Light-Bulb-Freeimages-UK.jpg?fit=2129%2C3200&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"John Pellowe","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@cccccharities","twitter_site":"@cccccharities","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"John Pellowe","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/"},"author":{"name":"John Pellowe","@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/78129b8fafee8dfe3bb7f3d7c8e33569"},"headline":"When to Engage a Consultant","datePublished":"2011-11-02T14:01:18+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-24T12:07:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/"},"wordCount":1151,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Light-Bulb-Freeimages-UK.jpg?fit=2129%2C3200&ssl=1","keywords":["Judicious Decision-Making","Relevant MIssional Insight"],"articleSection":["Effective","Thoughtfulness"],"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/","url":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/","name":"When to Engage a Consultant - CCCC Blogs","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Light-Bulb-Freeimages-UK.jpg?fit=2129%2C3200&ssl=1","datePublished":"2011-11-02T14:01:18+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-24T12:07:18+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Light-Bulb-Freeimages-UK.jpg?fit=2129%2C3200&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Light-Bulb-Freeimages-UK.jpg?fit=2129%2C3200&ssl=1","width":2129,"height":3200,"caption":"Used with permission"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/11\/02\/when-to-engage-a-consultant\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"When to Engage a Consultant"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/","name":"CCCC News &amp; Blogs","description":"CCCC Blogs","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/#organization","name":"Canadian Centre for Christian Charities","url":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/260wbRGB.png?fit=260%2C260&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/260wbRGB.png?fit=260%2C260&ssl=1","width":260,"height":260,"caption":"Canadian Centre for Christian Charities"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CCCCCharities","https:\/\/x.com\/cccccharities","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/canadian-council-of-christian-charities"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/78129b8fafee8dfe3bb7f3d7c8e33569","name":"John Pellowe","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e5439962feafa2554de0378f025969e5215f2a92edf5742f1bf3bed1765d6304?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e5439962feafa2554de0378f025969e5215f2a92edf5742f1bf3bed1765d6304?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e5439962feafa2554de0378f025969e5215f2a92edf5742f1bf3bed1765d6304?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"John Pellowe"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.cccc.org","bonnie.pillsworth@cccc.org"],"url":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/author\/john\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Light-Bulb-Freeimages-UK.jpg?fit=2129%2C3200&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6211,"url":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2011\/03\/23\/theres-life-on-the-third-planet\/","url_meta":{"origin":2724,"position":0},"title":"There&#8217;s Life on the Third Planet!","author":"John Pellowe","date":"March 23, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"The preconditions necessary to your ministry's birth point to critically-important strategic strengths that absolutely must be maintained and even strengthened further.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Effective&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Effective","link":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/category\/effective\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar system","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Solar-System-Freeimages.jpg?fit=1200%2C735&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Solar-System-Freeimages.jpg?fit=1200%2C735&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Solar-System-Freeimages.jpg?fit=1200%2C735&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Solar-System-Freeimages.jpg?fit=1200%2C735&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Solar-System-Freeimages.jpg?fit=1200%2C735&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":903,"url":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2009\/10\/13\/an-excessive-devotion-to-books\/","url_meta":{"origin":2724,"position":1},"title":"An Excessive Devotion to Books","author":"John Pellowe","date":"October 13, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Solomon was a wise man, and he said \"...My son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.\" I might add \"And to the mind too!\" So, I've become very selective over the years as to which books I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Creativity&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Creativity","link":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/category\/exemplary\/intellectual-creativity\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Books on a night table","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/Books-on-night-table.jpg?fit=1039%2C776&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/Books-on-night-table.jpg?fit=1039%2C776&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/Books-on-night-table.jpg?fit=1039%2C776&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/Books-on-night-table.jpg?fit=1039%2C776&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18537,"url":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2015\/05\/26\/board-development-plans\/","url_meta":{"origin":2724,"position":2},"title":"Board Development Plans","author":"John Pellowe","date":"May 26, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Board development is much more than new knowledge. Here is a list of things to think about & resources to use, when designing a board development plan.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Governance&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Governance","link":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/category\/governance\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ladder against an outside wall with a sunny blue sky above","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/1057448_48162643.jpg?fit=803%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/1057448_48162643.jpg?fit=803%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/1057448_48162643.jpg?fit=803%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/1057448_48162643.jpg?fit=803%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2762,"url":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2010\/04\/19\/the-danger-of-good-intentions-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":2724,"position":3},"title":"The Danger of Good Intentions","author":"John Pellowe","date":"April 19, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"We've all read about the short term mission team that went to Haiti in late January to rescue children and that instead wound up in jail suspected of child trafficking. These good-hearted people were apparently very naive, and the fact that they got as far as they did is, in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Best Practices&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Best Practices","link":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/category\/exemplary\/best-practices\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/mossy-foot-1316994-free-images.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/mossy-foot-1316994-free-images.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/mossy-foot-1316994-free-images.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/mossy-foot-1316994-free-images.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/mossy-foot-1316994-free-images.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13685,"url":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2013\/08\/31\/where-does-the-board-get-its-information\/","url_meta":{"origin":2724,"position":4},"title":"Where Does the Board Get Its Information?","author":"John Pellowe","date":"August 31, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"When a board has a decision to make, where does it get its information\u00a0from? Most boards rely to a high degree on staff to provide information, but how does the\u00a0board judge the\u00a0goodness or comprehensiveness\u00a0of\u00a0that information? The best board-staff relationships\u00a0require a high degree of mutual trust and respect, so it might\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Governance&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Governance","link":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/category\/governance\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Web icon for information","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Info-icon.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Info-icon.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Info-icon.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Info-icon.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Info-icon.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29614,"url":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/intersection\/2020\/11\/05\/law-and-religion-bibliography-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":2724,"position":5},"title":"Law and Religion Bibliography","author":"cccc","date":"November 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Ready to explore books that open your mind about law and religion? We\u2019ve updated our bibliography with hundreds of new titles. Whether you are researching, studying, or teaching in the field of law and religion \u2013 or whether you are simply looking for insights on some of the most profound\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"law and religion\"","block_context":{"text":"law and religion","link":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/tag\/law-and-religion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p30X8p-HW","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2724"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2724\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2724"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=2724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}