I am finding more and more clients complaining about the cost and lack of professionalism of professional advisors. There is a shared responsibility in this partnership. Clients need to learn how to engage effectively with their advisors and the advisors need to be accountable for their advice.
Even though Management Consulting, Coaching and Mentoring are voluntarily regulated professions, it remains a good and responsible thing for those professionals to sign up with a reputable professional body and abide by a written code of conduct.
This enables their clients and their peers to identify and engage with them and endorse their professional behaviour. I know there are many detractors who say that their reputation is sufficient, but what happens when something goes awry?
Part of the problem is one of definition. I have heard them all, including that “a consultant is an unemployed manager”.
While these definitions speak of a clear perception, there is also the side that says “I had a great experience” and “I got real benefit from the engagement”.
The real definition of an advisor is just that – one who offers professional, unbiased advice in a way that benefits the client.
