According to Google’s AI Overview, a leadership consultant is a professional who “helps organizations develop their leaders and improve their leadership skills.” Leadership consultants serve business leaders in a number of ways, including training existing leaders, identifying and developing new ones, and assisting executives with change initiatives, goal setting, and improving organizational culture.

Generally, leadership consultants serve business leaders in three ways: speaking, training, and coaching.

1. Speaking may include delivering keynote or lunch-and-learn-style presentations to inspire and/or educate team members on a variety of topics.

2. Training may be instructor-led or facilitated group learning. It may be live or on-demand. It may be pre-packaged or customized to your particular needs.

3. Coaching usually involves a series of one-on-one or group sessions in which the coach helps the leader(s) make meaningful progress toward overcoming their most important challenges.

First, you want to find someone you trust and who is a good fit for you personally. Other factors to consider are demonstrated knowledge and experience (both as a consultant and as an actual leader), professional credentials (affiliations, accreditations, etc.), and expertise in your particular field (though that’s not always necessary).

It depends. If all is well in the world of your business, you might honestly be better off leaving well enough alone. But if you are facing challenges, especially persistent or pervasive ones that you haven’t been able to solve on your own,  then a good consultant might be able to help you. Or, if you just have a nagging sense that things are not as good as they could be–that you’re not getting the most out of your business–then, a consultant might help you identify the source of your unrest and develop a plan to correct it.

I mean the easy answer is now! But seriously, there are two times you might want to hire a consultant. The first is when you have a pressing problem you need help solving. A consultant can bring a fresh perspective that can help you get unstuck and start making progress again. The second time–and I’m not trying to be facetious here–is whenever. A good consultant can help you diagnose problems you may not even be aware are going on in your organization. Or, maybe even better, help you identify and seize opportunities you hadn’t thought of before.

Great question! I’ll go ahead and let the cat out of the bag and tell you, yes! But let’s think it through. Most of us want to excel and succeed in whatever it is we’re doing. The fact that you’re here, reading this question and its answer, lets me know you’re in that camp. So how do we accomplish that? Many would say just work hard and be resourceful and you’ll figure it out. And that’s true, to a degree. However, allow me to borrow an idea from sports. Few would argue that Michael Jordan was one of the best–if not the best–basketball player to ever live. And certainly he worked hard and he was resourceful and he figured it out. But he also had a coach, someone who helped him fine-tune his talents and squeeze the last drops of productivity out of them. So did Tiger Woods. And Tom Brady. And Roger Federer. And any other sports legend you can think of. So I definitely need a coach! And so do you.

Nope! Certainly a lot of high-level business leaders have them, but so do a lot of other people. It just depends on what level of success you’re trying to achieve. And how much you’re willing to invest in yourself to get there. Having a coach is not cheap. You will have to get some skin in the game, so to speak. But the payoffs can be substantial. The right coach can help you find clarity on what’s most important to you and develop a practical, realistic, and doable path toward achieving it.

A few things. First, you'll want to find someone with whom you’re personally comfortable and compatible. You don’t want to live in dread of your next session! Second–and this probably goes without saying–you’ll want to find a coach who can actually help you get results. Although you want compatibility, you’re not trying to hire someone to be your new BFF. You want someone who can help you unlock your potential and reach your goals. That’s exactly what a good coach will do. Third, although a good coach doesn’t have to be a subject matter expert to help a client, if your field is particularly technical, you might look for a coach with some knowledge in that area.

I’ll answer that question with one of my own. What’s worse than training your people and then watching them leave? Not training them and watching them stay! Leadership expert John Maxwell says everything rises and falls on leadership. He also talks about the leader being the lid on any organization, meaning the success of the team will be limited by the effectiveness of its leader. If you want your organization to reach its potential, you should invest in training both your team and your leaders. Training your leaders is a no-brainer because of what we just learned. Training your team helps them grow as team members and also helps you identify and start to groom rising leaders.

It depends. (You had to see that coming, right?!) Your situation and needs will determine what’s best for you. We generally prefer in-person training with small groups. The in-person format offers the best opportunity for connection and engagement, and the small group setting allows for cross-participant learning and economy of scale. But there are also benefits to virtual training. If your trainer is remote, you save travel costs. And live virtual training can be pretty engaging if done well. Even on-demand virtual training has its place, as it allows individuals to work on their own time and at their own pace. Again, your situation will help inform which option is right for you.

Click here to see a brief video that explains them well. But if you can’t spare 1:12, here you go. Mastermind groups are a series of facilitated discussions among a group of like-minded individuals, in which we learn and grow together by unpacking wisdom from the works of established experts. We do Masterminds based on a wide selection of books by John Maxwell.

Well, none of us is as smart as all of us! Our facilitators are also leadership trainers (and practitioners, I might add), and certainly have expertise that they will contribute during the sessions. But making space for participants to share their views promotes even greater engagement and development. It leverages the power of diverse viewpoints, teaches interpersonal skills and allows a safe space to practice them, and it strengthens relationships among the participants.

Some growth does happen automatically–our waistlines, for example! Seriously, some good, productive growth does take place naturally as we mature. But there are also some levels of growth that will never happen without intentionality. Education is a good example. It costs time, effort, and money to go to college but many people choose to because of the benefits it provides. The same applies to your continuing personal and professional development. And while it is true that there are tons of free resources out there, we’ve found that putting our money where our mouth is brings a level of commitment to development that can’t be duplicated any other way.

Click here to see a brief video that explains them well. But if you can’t spare 1:14, here you go. Lunch and Learns are brief (usually about 30 to 45 minute), entertaining, and informational sessions in which a speaker shares select leadership or personal development content with you and your team. While lunch is implied in the title, you can do a Lunch and Learn any time, with or without food. As with our Mastermind groups, we primarily use John Maxwell content for our Lunch and Learns, though we are happy to customize a program for your particular needs.

Lunch and Learns are a low-risk, low-cost way for organizations to dip a toe in the water of using an outside consultant to train and develop their teams. It is your opportunity to test drive a consultant. You bring them in for a one-time-only engagement to judge fit, value, and whether you’re interested in exploring a longer-term relationship with them.

While we hope you will conclude that M2 Leadership Consulting should be on the list, we know we can’t be all things to all people. We have two recommendations for you. BG Allen & Company specializes in team dynamics, helping transform groups of individuals who happen to work together into true teams. He and his team have years of experience and have worked with tons of high-profile clients from all over. We’ve met BG and he certainly seems to be our kind of people. If you are looking for executive coaching, you might check out Deirdre Danahar of InMotion Consulting & Coaching. We have corresponded with Deirdre, although we’ve not had a chance to meet her yet. She is eminently qualified, with numerous educational and professional credentials.