Our consultants are known as implementers because
they are required to work in a hands-on way to make
things happen in your business. All are self employed
practitioners with long experience of running their own
small businesses and in delivering business improvement
programmes to small firms like yours.
We encourage applications from experienced consultants
whom we first screen through phone interviews to select
those with the knowledge, skills and attitude we need. The
rigorous selection process then involves the use of assessment
centres at which applicants are required to demonstrate
small business consultancy skills by working on a real case,
to show us what they can already do and how well they can
work with others. The next step involves psychometric profiling,
followed by a final interview – all of which is designed to
ensure that implementers meet our challenging requirements – and
can meet our clients’ needs.
Each Implementer has been through 10 days of compulsory HGL
training covering:
- Project Planning
- Use of technology
- Business research
- Training & Development planning
- Data Analysis
- Performance management installation
- Business Planning
- Human resource management
- Marketing
- Consultancy and coaching
- Operations & Quality
- Investors in People
- Finance
- ISO 9000
HGL’s directors carry out a face to face performance review
with each Implementer every 6 months. This includes a detailed
review of every project they are working on, the record of
deadline achievement, standard of work submitted and independent
feedback from you, the client. This process identifies areas
for improvement which go into the Implementer’s Personal
Development Plan which has to be acted upon before the next
review in order to ensure continuous performance improvement.
In addition to passing through HGL’s assessment and
development processes most Implementers are accredited
to at least one government quality scheme such as SFEDI, IiP
or ISO each of which organisation runs its own rigorous quality
vetting. All our Implementers are certified members of the
Institute of Business Consultancy and many are members of
the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development as well. These
professional bodies demand high entry standards and insist on
continuing professional development (CPD). Three times per year
HGL runs best practice events at which Implementer attendance
is mandatory. At these sessions Implementers compare notes
and share discoveries about what has worked particularly well,
so that everyone else can benefit and grow.
Project Management more...
We operate a rigorous project management system that ensures
your programme stays on target and that the work quality
maintains the high standards that we agree with you at the
outset. All work carried out by your Implementer has to be
copied to the office where every Project and every Implementer
is reviewed each month by our Managing Director and Finance
Director who take action in all cases of time overrun and
apparently incomplete work. We will phone you at regular
intervals to check your satisfaction with the work from the
viewpoints of timeline achievement, quality, relevance and
useful impact on your business. That provides you with an
opportunity to tell us frankly how the project is progressing
and the calibre of your relationship with your Implementer. If
you wish, we will change your Implementer and do so with no
embarrassment. If necessary, we will (and do) terminate the
contracts of any Implementer who fails to rectify the delivery
of unsatisfactory work to a client, replacing them at our own
cost (thankfully this is a very rare occurrence).
We currently have Implementers based in every county throughout
the southern half of the UK and are adding more in the Midlands
and North in order to fully cover the whole of England by 2010.
Ask us for CVs of one, two or three Implementers close to you