Field note · August 2025
Hiring a consultant without outsourcing judgment
The worst engagements we see — including a few we inherited — begin with a managing director who wants cover. “Apppathgrid said” becomes a shield in the family meeting. That is not advisory. That is rented authority, and it collapses the first time the advisor is on a plane.
We insist on a named owner inside the firm for every line of the mandate. If nobody will put their name on a stop-doing item, it does not enter the document. Rowan will argue; he will not impersonate the board.
Before you hire anyone, write the decision you are trying to make in one sentence. If you cannot, you are shopping for atmosphere. A Briefing Day is useful precisely because it can end in a “not yet”. Paying for a no is cheaper than paying for a thesis you will not run.
Keep the minutes. Keep the disagreement on the recording. When the consultant leaves, the judgment should still be sitting in your chairs, slightly less comfortable than before, which is the point.