Consulting & Coaching

Consultants and coaches have one of the best jobs. They get to speak into the lives of people doing amazing work. Often consultants and coaches have been there, done that. They offer years of experience, education and professional knowledge to others. It's rewarding for both the coach/consultant and the entity, professional or organization that benefits from their wisdom.

I liken #consulting and #coaching to parenting adult children. It's not a perfect comparison, but there are certainly similarities.

1. In coaching and consulting, as in parenting adult children, you don't have the day-to-day authority or the responsibility. You are not accountable for how well or if they execute the plan or take the advice. You are not responsible for making it happen nor do you bear the weight of the results.

2. You get to be the MIO, i.e., mentor, influencer and observer.

*Mentor - You get to offer counsel. You have permission in your role to offer advice and share wisdom. It's understood in your relationship as a coach or consultant (or parent) that you bring experience and wisdom and that you are willing to share it. Set the pace and don't overload organizations with too much at once. And in the parenting-adult-children realm, it's best to wait for them to ask for advice. :)

*Influencer - You have a seat at the table. You will influence those in leadership (or those around your table) just by being present. They will see what you've done, how you conduct yourself, how you say things, what you think, and how you process information. These points of influence will change how they do business -- or in the case of adult kids, how they live their lives.

*Observer - You get to see and observe first hand. You can learn by watching and listening. You can pick up on organizational culture and personalities and nuances that impact the organization just by observing the day-to-day life of a nonprofit or business. Observation can help you mentor better, coach more strategically and be more impactful in your work. Observing does not mean interrupting. Sometimes it is hard to watch the errors unfold or observe difficult dynamics. But experience is usually a better teacher than advice and observing lets you see what is going on in the organization -- or with our kids.

We need more #coaches helping our nonprofits and small businesses. If you have experience and lessons learned, think about sharing that with others. We need more experience around our tables. And we need to appreciate those who choose to #invest in this way.

-Mindy Muller, CFRE, President/CEO of CDP

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