Once you’ve located candidates, start asking questions. What can they do for you? What will they need to have access to in order to make changes? Describe some of your problems and ask what they’d do to repair them.

Once your consultant is in place, ensure that they have access to everything they need. Speak with your line managers and other involved personnel about what consultant is going to be doing, and what he’s going to need from them in order to do it. Set some project management software in place, and ensure that your consultant feels free to ask you for whatever assistance he or she needs.

You should budget for more than just a consultant when you’re working on your operations management. You will certainly need to make some capital and equipment investments as well; a consultant is more likely to add tools than to remove them. Whether it’s new software, GPS location equipment, or a revamping of assembly line, you’ll need to purchase new items to take advantage of efficiencies your consultant discovers. This seems like an elementary concept; but often companies pour money into a great consultant, only to run out of cash when it comes time to implement solutions consultant has found. And by time cash is there to implement, information provided by consultant is outdated!

You should always get a syllabus when planning to invest in any kind of training. Go through syllabus and ensure that it meets all your objectives; if it misses something crucial, you’re out of luck after you’ve paid for classes. Look through their class listings beyond class you’re interested in; you might find trends you were not aware of taught in other classes.

Avoid taking class in management du jour – instead, take classes that offer good, solid foundations in corporate governance. Focus on classes that address specific issues directly.

Your classes should include such things as information on audit trends, new governmental regulations you need to be aware of in every country you have a presence, and software training. One particularly important training segment today is information risk management. For example, how can you properly safeguard your customer’s information? How can you safeguard information in your own company? And how can you best prevent malicious software from getting on your corporation’s vital computer systems?

Maintain your skills after you’ve acquired them. We live in an ever-changing world, and skills you learn today for corporate governance are likely to change by tomorrow. By staying on top of skills you’re going to need tomorrow, you’ll ensure your company is always prepared.