How to hire and work with a DEI consultant
This blog is an excerpt from my new book Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: How to Succeed at an Impossible Job. It is now available in eBook, paperback and hardcover on Amazon.com, Amazon.de and Amazon.co.uk!
Now, back to the blog!
If your organization is not yet ready to hire a full-time DEI professional, a consultant can help you figure out what your organization needs, set up a strategy or implement an initiative such as a survey. Even if you do have a DEI team in place, a consultant can contribute much-needed expertise and outside perspective to make your team more impactful. Working with a good consultant can unlock doors for you. But, if it goes wrong, it can be a massive waste of time for everyone involved and not deliver what you were hoping for. Whether you are looking for a consultant to design a series of training or someone to help you create your first DEI strategy, here’s everything you need to know about working with a consultant.[1]
What to expect from working with a consultant?
Think about this relationship as a two-way street. Yes, you are hoping to hire someone to do consulting work for you and you will be vetting them, but they are also vetting you. There is often a power imbalance when one company is employing another, but don’t forget, a good consultant has limited time and capacity. They will prioritize their time on clients that are a good match for them. Likely in your first few interactions, they are assessing whether you as a client and your project are a good fit and whether they have the capacity and expertise to complete it. Being aware of this dynamic is essential. So, what is the process of working with a consultant?
Typically, as someone wishing to hire a consultancy, you will reach out to potential consultants via email or their website. First, you share some basic information about the project you want to start. The next step is to have a meeting where you discuss the project and budget. Following that meeting and after clearing up any open questions, you both decide whether you wish to proceed. If so, the consultant then sends you a formal quote to review. This is essentially a budget proposal that includes the scope of the project and deliverables. This phase of the process can take several weeks (or longer) depending on the backlog of the consultant and any additional information you need to gather on your side before fully scoping your project.
Depending on your location and the dependencies of the work, the next steps may be a bit different. If you accept the proposal, it may be as simple as agreeing via email to begin the work. But for some cases, you may need to formally sign a contract or exchange other legal documents such as NDAs. Essentially this step commits both sides to the budget, planned scope of work, deliverables, timelines, obligations, and other legal stuff. The work doesn’t begin until this happens.
Regarding timelines, typically, a consultant has many concurrent projects, and yours will need to fit in with the others in their queue. This may mean it will not get immediate attention and the timeline may not meet your expectations. Additionally, if there is anything from your side necessary for the consultant to begin the work (such as data, interviews or internal research), the timelines will be delayed until you deliver this.
Make sure it’s clear with the consultant, who is the single point of contact, so they know how to get in touch. While the consultant is working on your project, expect to be an active and available participant. They may need introductions to others in your organization or to discuss some aspects of the project. You may be asked to give feedback on interim deliverables or participate in planning sessions. This collaboration is part of a successful project. You should plan to be available as requested during the project through to its delivery.
Depending on the duration and scope of the project, you will likely be invoiced monthly, or in other cases, only when the project is completed. Each invoice you receive has a deadline for payment that needs to be met or the project may be delayed.
What to do before you reach out?
1. Get the mandate to lead the work
Consultants sometimes get contacted by someone who has the ambition to work on a DEI project, but they haven’t yet been granted the mandate within their organization to lead this work. This could be a member of a Works Council or ERG or just an interested employee. Unfortunately, though well-intentioned, this can create a false start when the decision-maker is not a part of the evaluation and selection process. By decision-maker, I mean the person ultimately responsible for funding the project and deciding which consultant to work with. Before you begin the process, make sure you have the mandate to hire a consultant, you’ve identified a project lead and have a budget allocated. Consider these pre-requisites to starting your outreach.
2. Have the right people in the room at the first meeting
As mentioned above, the decision-maker is crucial. If that is not you, make sure you invite the decision-maker. Their involvement from the beginning makes sure that you are using the time you have with the consultant as efficiently as possible. If there is another critical stakeholder whose contributions are absolutely necessary, make sure they are there as well. For example, if you have an executive sponsor or managing director that is really engaged in your DEI work, be sure to invite them. Their perspective on how the project fits into their business may be valuable insight. But with that said, this meeting should not be a whole panel of people. Keep it to 2, or maximum 3 at the first meeting. Otherwise, there will likely be lots of discussion and debate among the participants from your side, making the meeting less productive.
3. Do your research and allocate your budget in advance
Before talking with them, it’s impossible to know what a consultant will charge for your project. But you can do some research in advance to understand a ballpark figure. Typically consultants charge either a flat rate for a project or an hourly fee. You can expect an hourly fee to vary from minimally 100 euros per hour to more than 300.[2] What not to do: reach out to a dozen consultants and ask them all for a quote so you can compare. This generates a lot of time and effort for everyone involved, with a low likelihood of success. Floria Moghimi shares: “When you’re about to buy a house you set the budget before you start the search. DEI is not that different. Setting the budget in advance saves the consultants you want to work with a lot of time. There are villas, and there are one-bedroom apartments. Decide what you want to build. We’re skilled to do both.”
Also, remember: the consultants you work with are humans working in DEI just like you. They deal with the emotional weight of the work while also navigating inequality and systemic barriers in their own lives. Every additional request or meeting before the contract is signed may take one or two hours more of unpaid work. This work is well spent if the project has a good chance of moving ahead. But if there is a slim to zero chance of that project ever coming to life, then this is simply a lot of wasted time. Being aware of this and doing research in advance to narrow down your outreach is respectful of their time and energy. Once you have done your research and know your budget, you can focus your outreach to target two or three consultants you think may be the best fit. Sharing your budget with them up front will give them the chance to reply quickly if they are not able to suit your needs.
4. Be open to guidance
You may think you are 100% set on a specific project and how it should be completed. But remember, the consultant has years of experience delivering projects to clients and has seen it go well… and not so well. Sometimes we think we want one thing (for example: unconscious bias training), but we actually need something else. Be open to guidance and consider their advice on what is the best approach for you.
Find the right consultant for you
There’s a lot to consider when figuring out which consultancy is right for your project. To find someone, you can ask for recommendations from people you trust or search the web. But context matters. Searching for a consultant who has worked in your geographic location or industry is an excellent start because they will more likely understand the specific challenges you are facing. Try to find a consultant willing to step back and think about the bigger picture and the root cause of the challenge you are trying to solve, not just deliver a single training and call it a day. How the culture and style of your organization mesh with the consultant is also important, you want to find someone that you trust and will enjoy working with.
If you are reaching out to a bigger consultancy, clarify upfront with whom you’ll be working. Even after your initial meeting, it may not be obvious who will work on your project, and you’ll want to consider the experience and seniority levels of the consultants. Some projects and trainings require a higher level of skill and experience. Working with a more senior consultant will likely also come with a higher rate. Be sure to also consider the diversity of the agency itself. Is it a diverse team with lived experience relevant to your project? Are they comfortable and skilled at advising on topics such as anti-racism or microaggressions?
And lastly, think about your own biases, privilege and the diversity of your professional network. This all has a chance to impact who is recommended to you and who you consider working with. Develop standardized criteria (such as a checklist of skills and relevant experience you are hoping for) to evaluate and compare consultancies to give you some perspective and make a better, less biased decision.
Let’s cover a few important don’ts:
- Don’t expect the consultant to fix everything, especially fundamental organizational issues. Addressing those types of issues takes a commitment from inside your organization.
- Don’t try to negotiate prices down, though you can likely scale back the scope of the project to fit your budget.
- Don’t expect to sit back and watch — the consultant will need your engagement and input throughout the project.
I hope this guide can be helpful in thinking about your next project and finding the right consultant for it. Many of the best working relationships are built over time with a high level of trust. Starting the relationship off in the right way will help build that trust quickly and get your project off to a great start.
[1]Floria Moghimi inspired and collaborated on this section. Through Floria’s DEI consulting business (https://floriamoghimi.de/en), she has met hundreds of DEI practitioners and organizations hoping to implement DEI. Her insight and expertise have been a welcomed addition to the book.
[2]Diversity Consultant by Martha Frase-Blunt, June 1, 2004. https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/Pages/0604agenda_diversity3.aspx;
What you get when you hire a DEI consultant by Kiran Herbert, August 5, 2020. https://www.outsidebusinessjournal.com/issues/diversity-equity-inclusion/miho-aida-q-and-a/
