Hiring aviation consultants and what they can do for you
IN CONVERSATION
In this series consisting of three articles, I explore the world of aviation consultancy; who consultants are, what they can do for you, the value that they can add, and what to watch out for. In this second of three articles, I look at who consultants, what value they can add and why you may want to hire one.
WHO ARE AVIATION CONSULTANTS?
Companies often seek external help when looking for that unbiased view or feel that they can benefit from a specific skill set. Whilst this can bring many benefits, it can create some disbenefits if not adequately managed.
As we discussed in the previous article, the term consultant sometimes conjures up a vision of a highly paid, so-called expert who earns a lot of money. Successful consultants can make a lot of money, but that's not always the case.
This form of industry professional can come in many guises, charge out rates and experience levels. They can range from former company directors, those recently retired, in between jobs or those with niche knowledge or specific skills.
A few leave highly paid jobs, call themselves consultants and walk straight into premium assignments. Good for them, but it doesn't always mean they are a great consultant. They may just have a lot of good connections.
Many, like myself, build from scratch; a second career, a 'must succeed' project after a long career working in the industry. Remaining in mainstream employment would have been the easier option but a far less satisfying one.
For a consultant, their network is vital. It is an absolute must to draw upon a broad demographic of experienced, knowledgeable and reliable industry professionals to support them in their work to provide expertise over a range of (sometimes obscure) subject matter. It offers many benefits for the client as well.
Aviation consultants work directly for their clients or indirectly via others who may need the skills on offer. I was once was fourth in a chain of work, meaning there were two intermediaries between myself and the actual client. There's nothing wrong with that as long as each party's interface is appropriately and adequately managed.
Even before the pandemic and the emergence of video conferencing technology, many consultants successfully worked remotely. As the technology develops, this only enhances the organisations ability to use consultants very effectively regardless of where either party are geographically located.
All types of consultants can have a valuable place in any organisation, depending on its needs.
WHAT DO AVIATION CONSULTANTS ACTUALLY DO?
Many organisations, particularly those with strong brands, can sometimes become somewhat parochial in their outlook. When this occurs, they may start to detach from what the wider industry thinks and does to a point where it starts to cause problems and needs a reset. It is a curious situation which I've seen several times.
Obviously, all organisations must tread their path and be unique in their own way. But in a highly competitive market and pressured operating environment, even successful companies can occasionally lose sight of their objectives and get distracted undertaking non core activity, leaving some areas to suffer.
Not all organisations are great at hazard perception and managing risk. Some can be very risk-averse or overconfident, both dangerous. I sometimes find that a good test of that perception is to ask a group of managers the top five or ten operational risks to their organisation and wait for the response (or, sometimes, lack of it).
One example of how consultants can often help; is seeing what is often hidden in plain sight, what the organisation needs help to see, and the broader effects.
Whilst consultants are, by and large, are pretty good at dispensing advice and spotting what's wrong, thinking that that's all they can offer falls far short of the variety of benefits that most can bring. Many consultants are multi-dimensional and can provide a whole array of skills, viewpoints, insights and services that enhance the organisation's robustness over short or more extended periods.
I quickly realised that we could also offer training, audit and documentation services that complement our consultancy activities. Individually very different from consulting but often very useful to the client and enables the delivery of solutions quickly and efficiently, sometimes slipstreaming right behind the consultancy task.
At first, this work was effectively a spin-off, but eventually, they became stand-alone services in their own right, not necessarily dependent or linked to consulting assignments.
Consultants don't have to be one dimensional; they can offer many other valuable and related services.
WHERE IS THE VALUE?
Robust regulatory environments and industry best practices can be a minefield, maintaining a constant level of compliance with all that is required across an entire organisation can difficult for both small and large organisations.
The reality of this can mean very simple issues arising like not seeing the dangers of being single person dependent in certain areas of the business. Perhaps, over time, they've simply organically grown that way but in some circumstances, complacency starts, the reactive rot sets in.
Spreading resources too thin, as many do when trying to cut costs, can spell danger. The apparent unforeseen issues arising when reorganisation takes place, increasing workloads and leaving gaps can be costly on a whole number of levels.
The use of consultants or consultancy related services, building up that trust in crucial areas, can help fill the gaps and enhance the organisational awareness of its activities and focus on delivering critical services.
Whatever goes on behind the scenes, a good consultant, the trusted advisor, can successfully and effectively interact at any organisational level. They can bring that valuable independent, dynamic and external view, keeping the company plugged into the industry when and where it needs to be, ultimately helping to keep it focussed and on the straight and narrow.
In short, consultants can provide that corporate reassurance, an essential independent view, the industry reference point, some extra resource or specific expertise. And another little known fact worth considering; consultancy services can often be delivered better, faster and cheaper than the in-house equivalents.