CONSULTANT VS. STRATEGIC ADVISOR: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE IN STRATEGY CONSULTING?

While both serve in advisory roles to leadership teams shaping crucial market positioning choices amid uncertainty, strategic consultants and advisors differ fundamentally in relationship proximity, project scope and skill positioning relative to internal capability gaps.

At essence, consultants operate through time-bound relationships governed by statements of work with defined deliverables, whether executing capability assessments, crafting 3-year expansion roadmaps, or providing ad-hoc planning expertise. Payment flows directly for fixed-scope projects and tactical execution guidance in answer-driven modes.

Strategic advisors however involve much deeper integrative long-term roles as ongoing senior confidants guiding growth visions, open-ended strategy and emerging opportunity response. Assignments never wrap up neatly. Advisory holds board or C-suite influence stemming from years building reputation, wisdom and trust through understanding leadership priorities intimately. Advisors intertwine destines.

Consulting teams appropriately handle discrete analytical and operational initiatives benefiting from outside bandwidth, tools and cross-industry perspective. They deliver solutions to a defined problem and depart. Strategic advisors instead embed as peers guiding ongoing judgement calls amidst uncertainty when companies approach tipping points balancing risk and ambition.

While some advisors receive indirect incentive through equity options or warrants for enhancing stakeholder value, motivation primarily links to shared aspirational purpose with the leadership they mentor given deep cultural fit and conviction for the business success enabling wider positive global change.

To bring it all together for you, consultants bring specialist expertise advising business facets in transactional modes on sound practices and optimizations. Strategic advisors thrive through lifelong encapsulated relationships mentoring leaders holistically through intricate multi-dimensional dilemmas and transitions where huge opportunity and risk entwine beyond templated responses. They help own the future.