Look for a consultant who can understand your business before recommending a solution. Strong strategic thinking is important, but so is the ability to ask the right questions, challenge assumptions, analyze the available information, and communicate recommendations clearly. Experience with implementation can also be valuable if the organization needs support moving from strategy into execution.

Industry experience can be helpful, especially in highly regulated or specialized sectors. However, it is not always the most important qualification. A consultant with strong strategic and analytical skills can bring an outside perspective and identify opportunities or assumptions that internal teams may overlook. The key is finding someone who can quickly understand your business model, customers, competitive environment, and the specific decision you need to make.

Pay attention to the questions they ask before presenting a solution. A strong strategy consultant should want to understand your objectives, current challenges, financial and operational realities, competitive environment, and previous attempts to address the issue. Be cautious of consultants who recommend a predetermined framework or solution before they have enough context.

It depends on the engagement, but implementation support can be valuable when a strategy requires significant organizational change. A company may have a clear strategic direction but still struggle with prioritization, ownership, resource allocation, or execution. A consultant with capabilities in areas such as project management, change management, organizational design, or operational improvement may be better positioned to help turn the strategy into action.

The timeline depends on the complexity and scope of the work. A focused strategic question may be addressed in a relatively short engagement, while enterprise strategy, transformation, or growth initiatives can require a longer process. A consultant should be able to define the scope, key milestones, expected outputs, and decision points before the work begins.

Stonehill works as an extension of the client's team, combining strategic thinking with the capabilities required to put decisions into action. Depending on the challenge, Stonehill can connect strategy with innovation, organizational design, change management, process improvement, project management, PMO support, technology, and business transformation. The goal is to help leadership make better strategic decisions and create a practical path for executing them.