Know When to Quit: Why You Don’t Need Experts, Coaches or Consultants

by Robert Rynders on February 22, 2013

in Leadership and Organizations

I’m sometimes known for being negative towards professional organizational experts, coaches and consultants.

It’s not that I think they’re bad or useless. I have a coach and I’ve just been hired to be coach. The problem, however, is that for many individuals and organizations that are really struggling, no expert, coach or consultant will be able to help them. In these situations people are desperate and are looking for that magic minimum or no effort program or model that will reverse their downward spiral.

It’s actually quite ridiculous how much money people and organizations will pay for these “experts” to come in and make it all better. If you or your organization don’t have a history or culture of being able to change, adapt or take the advice of experts then what makes you think it will work this time? If you’re to a point where things are so bad and you’re looking for an opportunity to shell out thousands of dollars for someone to come in and change a culture that’s unchangeable, then it’s time to hit the pause button and be honest with yourself.

Your organization isn’t coming back.

Stop swinging for the fences and recognize that this is a time to wind things down, to remember the past and celebrate all that you have accomplished. It’s time to look forward to, maximize and enjoy the time you have left.

If, however, your organization is a startup, thinking of innovating, or in a place of growth or temporary decline and you just can’t seem to get over the hump, experts, coaches and consultants can be of immense benefit.

But, this isn’t an advertisement or sales pitch. This is a plea for you to stop. Stop spending what little resources you have so that someone else can make a living off of taking money from dead and dying organizations, knowing that there’s nothing they can do to help. Don’t be like a gambler who doesn’t know when to stop because you can just “feel” that the next hand is your hand and you’re going to hit the jackpot, because you’re not.

However, every once in a while someone does get lucky, and that will stick in the back of your mind, haunting you, but that’s just what the casino is counting on.

Tagged as: adapting, coaches, consultants, culture change, experts, Innovation, organizations

  • Jeremy Scott

    I’m curious what’s behind this post?  My church was not a start up or in temporary decline.  We’ve been on the same corner for 90+ years and it was in freefall and had been for a decade.  With some hard work, the great help of a coach, and an emphases on the kingdom we’re on our third year of growth in mission and in numbers.  My coach was a valuable part of that, and the whole project was thanks to a conference coach of sorts that brought ideas to the cabinate.  

    So, what’s wrong with that?  The conference and the church were both VERY stuck and outside people helped us get unstuck.

    • http://www.robrynders.com/ Rob Rynders

      That’s great! Clearly there’s nothing wrong with that and I hope your conference celebrates your accomplishments. I just think that’s the exception to the rule. I assume when you came in you came with an openness to change and your congregation at some point was able to recognize they actually had to do some hard work and were able to execute those things. Sometimes you do get the right mix in the right place at the right time. I just too often see congregations throw their last few thousand dollars (or tens of thousands) at a consultant and when they don’t hear what they want to hear or realize that ultimately they have some hard work to do, they get mad at the coach. On the other side I see coaches come into a situation where it would literally take a miracle to turn a congregation around, claim what they have can fix them, takes their money, tells them to change the carpet color then rides off into the sunset.
      As I hinted in my final line, every once in a while coaches work in desperate situations and it’s those anecdotes that lead people to think they can bring someone in to do the hard work for them.

      • Jeremy Scott

        My experiences with coaches and the like I must confess is limited.  So if they are offering interior decorating tips and not really coaching that is a problem.  Maybe that’s more prevalent than I think.

        I guess your milage will vary.  I still think though that a good coach or expert can move churches/conferences/agencies in good directions even if the the church is in it for the wrong reasons. Just like good pastors can turn around churches even if they don’t want to be turned around in the beginning.   

  • http://jbyas.com/ J. Byas

    From a professional adviser who often has to do the difficult task of telling people “You don’t want to change, you just think you want to change”: yes! Great articulation.

  • Maxfacto

    Our church is using a coach/consultant… and from an outsider (I just arrived at the Church) here is what I see:

    - suggestions of the coach are taken not in the spirit of what is suggested (get on-line etc.), but only to satisfy the law of the suggestion (we put a picture of our church on-line vs. we have a web presence through on-line tools that help us reach people). 
    - the consultant can say whatever he/she wants… but unless the congregation is willing to JUMP on it… it’s useless.  Words that an unwilling congregation will have the gumption act on, are just dusty ideas.

    That said, lots of people are screaming about the needed change… most of us screaming are on-line… giving our stories of how the oldies but goodies are not allowing us to change or transform the Church, or are hindering our efforts… and to that I say: It’s a full out battle.

    However, who is communicating the need to transform with our seniors? Those of us on-line read your content, relevance lead details, Wes McGruder etc. But who is talking to the old lady in the front of the church who doest not have an email account?  

    Our leadership should be holding round tables and open discussions with the Church… encouraging change, telling them we have to change our bizillion committee system, and streamline.  We can talk…but we have to educate the past generation… the one holding on to their pews with white knuckles.  They need to hear the message of needed transformation from loving leadership… not just their Pastor, and us WILD contemporary worship leaders… but from Heads of conferences.  We have to meet them where they are.  Just saying… the “speak a relevant language” idea swings both ways.  

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