Do we need a consultant to start the Baldrige journey?
No, but it may help. A consultant can help you understand the criteria—unfortunately, they are not written in the most user-friendly language. A word of caution—some consultants really emphasize winning the award. My approach is to help client organizations improve by using the criteria to get focused and by using lessons from past winners and other high-performing organizations. With this approach, winning the award is a long-term consideration secondary to achieving great results.
