There are a few tours you can purchase with pre-charted routes. Some are easy …some have fabulous sight-seeing from a tram…some routes will test your skill as a hiker.

There are shops selling guidebooks, compasses, and maps. Some of the maps are more detailed, and actually more confusing, than others.

Then you notice a guide sitting quietly at the edge of the clearing. She’s wearing weathered hiking clothes and dusty boots. She holds a sign that reads, “Where do you want to go?

Out of curiosity you approach and ask about her service.

“I don’t tell you where to go, I walk beside you to help you get there,” she replies.

“I don’t quite understand…how does that work?”

“I’ve been on that mountain quite a bit, but that doesn’t mean I know where you want to go. I’ll hike beside you and when we come to a fork in the trail, I’ll let you know what’s ahead on either path. There are a few rough spots I’ll let you know about so you don’t sprain an ankle. And I won’t let you lose sight of where you want to end up. By the time we’re finished, you’ll be able to come back and hike on your own.”

Like the guide in this story, CenterPoint walks beside clients and builds their capacity to hike on their own. We do not use cookie-cutter plans like the pre-charted hiking courses, avoid the hard parts like the sight-seeing tram, or prescribe solutions like guidebooks and maps. With CenterPoint consultants as guides, organizations not only gain the satisfaction of successfully reaching their goals but also learning in the process.

While this approach is not new or completely unique to CenterPoint, most consultants use a more traditional consulting approach—positioning themselves as experts who know all  the answers. That approach does not always take the time to listen to or learn about the complexities of an organization in order to work within its existing culture. Traditional consulting sees a successful project as one that meets short-term project goals and satisfies the client, but not one that necessarily builds clients’ long-term capacity to sustain the work.

Recent analyses of the effectiveness of traditional consulting methods in the nonprofit sector have found that these methods need to be re-examined. Authorities are now suggesting a “developmental consulting” approach. CenterPoint has been using this approach since its inception in 1988.

As developmental consultants, CenterPoint builds open, trusting relationships with clients and involves them in project design and implementation. CenterPoint works to clearly define roles, believing that complete transparency and understanding are keys to successful projects. Also, while CenterPoint consultants are experts in their fields, they guide organizations through coaching methods, not through prescriptive advice. To put it simply, we’re not concerned with ourselves or our expertise. Our mission is our client’s mission.