ARTICLE SUMMARY
The lines have become blurred between the respective roles of business coaches and management consultants. But there are distinct differences between the two.
A coach, to my mind, generally works one-on-one with someone and tries to improve that individual’s performance. A management consultant works with a business on improving the performance of the business.
Let’s take the example of a football team. If a really high-profile coach went to help the local team, they would be working with the staff and the players to improve their game. They would be working with individuals.
A management consultant, on the other hand, would probably talk about how to structure the team. Maybe how to attract more sponsors for the team, how to get more people coming through the gate for the games.
So think about your own area of expertise. Are you coaching individuals or are you helping businesses?
The Main Differences between a Coach and a Consultant
Consultant or Coach?
I run a management consulting business. In fact, I have three of them. But I am not a coach. There seems to have been an enormous expansion of coaching and consulting in recent years. People go on a weekend course and call themselves a consultant or a coach.
Let’s try to break down what is the difference between the two professions.
The Coach
A coach, to my mind, generally works one-on-one with someone and tries to improve that individual’s performance. So, for example, a lot of senior executives may have a performance coach.
Let us look at another example—the local football team.
If a really high-profile coach went to help the local football team, what do you think they would be doing? They would be helping the staff and the players improve their game. They would be working with individuals.
The Consultant
What do you think a management consultant would do for a football team?
They are probably going to talk about how to structure the team. Maybe how to attract more sponsors for the team, how to get more people coming through the gate for the games.
So you are starting to see the difference. Generally, a coach works with an individual to improve that individual’s performance. A management consultant works with a business on improving the performance of the business.
The Role of the Consultant
In my almost 25 years as a management consultant, it is always the case that businesses come to me for answers to specific questions. How can we do this more efficiently to save money? How can we do X, Y, Z to gain a bigger market share?
Generally, as a management consultant, what you are bringing to the client is a lot of experience in a particular area, and you are helping them to overcome a particular challenge because you have qualifications and experience in that area, you have case studies where you have helped other people, and you have techniques and methods and so on. That’s what they are paying for.
You are bringing all that expertise and experience to that client to help them solve a problem you have probably dealt with many times before.
So think about your own area of expertise. Are you coaching individuals or are you helping businesses?
As I point out in a YouTube video on this subject, it doesn’t matter what your skills as a management consultant are. You might be helping them as a sales consultant, a marketing consultant, a manufacturing consultant, the principle is all pretty much the same.
In a Nutshell
The following bullet points may further help pinpoint the differences between a coach and a consultant:
- A coach helps a client find their own answers – A consultant provides answers.
- A coach helps build capacity – A consultant helps a client resolve business issues.
- A coach asks questions – A consultant shares expertise.
- A coach acts as a partner – A consultant plays an advisory role.
The Specific Role of the Consultant
Consultants are expected to operate with a high level of professionalism and are hired for their abilities in the following areas:
1) Expertise: Clients bring in external consultants either because they don’t have the required expertise in-house, or because they don’t have enough time.
2) Communication skills: Clients want a consultant who has excellent verbal and written communication skills in order to comprehend the scope of the challenge and to give understandable input.
3) Analysis: Consultants should be able to solve problems based on a solid analysis of data, rather than making educated guesses.
So here’s a question for you: Are you a coach or a consultant?
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Best Regards,
Rob O’Byrne
Email: robyrne@logisticsbureau.com
Phone: +61 417 417 307