essays – Consulting

Agent of Inquiry

I may have found my new title. (A perk of being a business owner: I can create my own!)

One of the genres I’m drawn to is mysteries – books, movies, TV shows, gardening. . .

A series I’ve been reading takes place in Victorian England, and the main character is a former policeman who becomes a private detective. He’s referred to as an “Agent of Enquiry” (with the British spelling).

👉 I’m thinking that describes my job as a consultant. I’m an “Agent of Inquiry” (with the American spelling).

Much of what I do when I work with groups involves asking questions.

❓ What problem are we actually trying to solve?

❓ Why is the founder still the Board Chair?

❓ Who is accountable?

❓ Why does your bylaws contain 138 “Whereas” clauses and no term limits?

❓ Is this a strategic plan or just a professional-looking list of to-dos?

Good consultants don’t walk in pretending to have all the answers.

We walk in asking the questions everyone else has been avoiding since 2019.

🔥 Inquiry is not about being combative.

✨It’s about being curious enough to stop normalizing dysfunction with motivational posters and a Christmas ham.

Sometimes the most valuable thing a consultant can say is: “I need you to explain this to me like I was not here for the last decade of organizational drama.” 👀

And a healthy board culture can survive hard questions instead of treating them like a personal attack.

🤔 The organizations that improve fastest are usually the ones willing to say: “Okay, but what are we missing?” and “Why are we still doing things this way?” 🤔

An Agent of Inquiry can prompt those types of questions (without judgement) to really dig into what’s underlying the issues that keep coming up.

I’m drawn to mysteries because I like to ask questions (and hopefully get satisfactory answers).

That’s probably why I continue to be a nonprofit consultant.

So what do you think of my new title? 🙋‍♀️

“Inquiring minds want to know.” 👇