There was a famous, commonly held mantra within Hewlett-Packard that went something like, "If only HP knew what HP knows!"  It also became one of the favorite "gotcha" lines of every Knowledge Management software vendor over the past decade.  What do we actually already know that we are looking to a consultant, at considerable cost, to "discover?"  The concept here is that, as organizations grow, they hire people who bring with them a considerable amount of extra knowledge.  For example, a former manager of a web design firm turned project manager brings with her more than just a project management skill set.  The hiring organization now has project management skills, general management skills, web design skills and who knows what else!

I have worked with a number of organizations where the first instinct on any new strategy or project is to hire a consultant to tell them what to do and how to do it.  Being one of the aforementioned consultants, I shouldn't complain.  After all, I get paid to tell people what to do and how to do it.  However, also being honest and having some integrity, the first thing I advise on any engagement is to have the organization look within itself for a "gut check" on potential solutions to the problem or for people who may have some knowledge on the subject.  Why would I do that you ask?  Because of the following reasons:

1. It's the right thing to do
2. If the organization finds someone internally who knows the subject or has passion around it, I now have a solid sponsor or partner to work with because...
3. I have NEVER lost a client opportunity when taking this approach
4. Did I mention...It's the right thing to do?

This topic is fresh in my mind because as I was working with a client recently on developing an Innovation Center of Excellence , we were exploring the concept of risk management protocols.  The organization has some risk management guidelines, mostly from an accounting/financial risk perspective, but no one really "in charge" of the discipline.  I have some templates that I have collected throughout my previous consultation engagements, but I am certainly no expert on true "risk management."  We laid out a rough approach and planned on figuring out the details at a later date.  For me, it was a checklist item...not rocket science.  And that's when the trouble started...

Little did I know, or my main point-of-contact within the organzation know, or the HR representative know, or apparantly anyone in the entire company who was willing to admit it know, that there was a person in IT, a manager of Application Development, who really gets into risk management...serious risk management.  In fact, he was a Business Risk Management Supervisor in his "past life."  In fact again, he writes a pretty popular blog on risk management concepts and process and protocol.  And here's the sad part, he had been lobbying to help the organization with risk management for years.  Get this...he volunteered...on top of his regular job...to work on risk management for the organization.  But, because he wasn't part of the "risk management" loop for the organization...as in, he wasn't part of the accounting/financial group...he was essentially ignored.  What did an IT AppDev Manager know about risk management?  Seriously...

If only this organization knew what this organization knows....

Luckily, I was quickly able to diffuse the situation by adding the person to our Steering Committee and letting him draft the guiding risk management protocol for filtering ideas that enter the innovation portfolio.  In the end, all is well.  Lesson learned!

So ask around inside your organization what you MAY NOT know about someone.  Start a skills inventory database that collects every employee's past and present knowledge level on the key competencies for your organization.  In fact, go a step further and solicit information about their hobbies, areas of interest, desires to work in another area, special skill sets, etc.  You never know when you might need some of that knowledge or information.  And get over the fact that someone in Marketing might have experience writing JAVA code...in this economy where you might have people taking work wherever it comes along, it happens!  I think you'll find that your organization knows a lot more than you think it knows!