What is a Consultant - Part Deux

Merriam-Webster's entry for consultant is as follows:

Function: noun
Date: 1697
1 : one who consults another
2 : one who gives professional advice or services : expert

The inclusion of "expert" surprised me. I have never been comfortable with the label of "expert". Even after 13 years of consulting, I would never claim to be an expert in anything. Also, I am instantly suspicious of consultants who label themselves as experts.

A few years ago, I received a resume of a consultant with 8 years of experience who claimed she was an expert in over 20 solution areas. Highly unlikely to say the least. My own standards for "expert" would be someone with 20 years of experience who is also published on the topic.

Being a consultant does not make one an expert, just as being an expert certainly does not make one a consultant. If I were a client, and a consultant came to me and said "I am an expert and I have the answer to your problem.", I would immediately be doubtful. What could that consultant know about my organization, or the history and drivers of my problem? Nothing, unless they happen to be a former employee of my organization.

Consultants do not bring "the answer". What they bring is a method to find the answer.

Or in most cases "answers". A consultant who brings a ready-made answer already has a personal agenda which will cloud their objectivity. Consultants are not and should not be "in the know". They should be "in the process of finding out". Consulting consists of methods, processes, and discipline, not a bag of answers.