Here are a few thoughts on what it takes to be a good consultant (something I work at everyday):<\/p>\n\t
Consulting is generally filled with smart people.<\/strong> I mean that in the high IQ, “Gee, s\/he is really smart” kind of way.\u00a0 That is one thing to keep in mind if you think you want to be a consultant.\u00a0 If you are not “smart”, you probably won’t make it.<\/p>\n\t Here is why:\u00a0 The premise of consulting is that you are going to tell an experienced executive (15+ years of experience, and many rungs up the corporate ladder) something they don’t already know about their own business.\u00a0 That is hard to do.<\/em> It requires you to be able to learn as much as possible about their business in a very short period of time, and then share insights that the executive didn’t already know by applying things you’ve learned from other projects (even though they may not be that similar).\u00a0 This type of quick learning and fluid intelligence is precisely what “smart” people are good at.<\/p>\n\t Consulting is generally filled with social people<\/strong>.\u00a0 If being smart weren’t hard enough, you must also be very social to be a good consultant.\u00a0 Good consultants are “Trusted Advisers”.\u00a0 Who is the most trusted adviser in your life?\u00a0 It is likely your best friend or a family member….someone intensely personal to you….someone you trust and like.\u00a0 As a consultant you must be both expert and trusted.\u00a0 Expert requires intelligence.\u00a0 Trusted requires social skills and strong ethics.<\/p>\n\t Being both socially adept and very smart is hard to do.<\/em> How many really smart people do you know?\u00a0 How many of them are also socially awkward?\u00a0 Being a good consultant requires an almost Goldilocks-like balance of smart and social since the two are often inversely related.<\/p>\n\t Consulting is filled with older people<\/strong>.\u00a0 Consulting is as much art as science.\u00a0 If there were firm answers to the questions executives ask, they wouldn’t need consultants.\u00a0 It is human nature that when we are unsure about something we tend to stick with experience, which often means gray hair.\u00a0 You can be a young consultant, no doubt, and very competent…however, gray hair helps ease the more difficult conversations.<\/p>\n\t Consultants are performers and social architects<\/strong>.\u00a0 There is a social dance that goes on with clients and at big meetings.\u00a0 Consultants lead clients to the conversations they need to have to move the project.\u00a0 Good consultants, like good politicians, allow the client to give continued feedback while the consultant controls the agenda and guides the outcome.\u00a0 Clients control consultants while consultants corral clients in the direction they want to go.\u00a0 Remember, if executives already knew what they wanted, and didn’t need any corralling…they wouldn’t need consultants.\u00a0 It is a complementary dance.<\/p>\n\t Consulting is about consensus building and storytelling<\/strong>.\u00a0 Remember that there are often no “correct” answers to the questions being addressed.\u00a0 So a good consultant, like a good lawyer, must build the case in the simplest, most appealing way to get people on board.\u00a0 Logic alone is not enough; you have to be able to tell a compelling story.\u00a0 If college rewarded length of response, consulting rewards brevity…preferably in bullet points (less than 3)…even more preferably in a graphic\/picture.<\/p>\n\t __________________________<\/p>\n\t So, being a good consultant is not easy.\u00a0 It takes a mix of talent and years of work.\u00a0 Like leaders, most consultants are made, not born.\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here are a few thoughts on what it takes to be a good consultant (something I work at everyday): Consulting is generally filled with smart people. I mean that in the high IQ, “Gee, s\/he is really smart” kind of way.\u00a0 That is one thing to keep in mind if you think you want to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0},"categories":[6],"tags":[74],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3IMYj-6G","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":820,"url":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=820","url_meta":{"origin":414,"position":0},"title":"What good is being smart?","author":"kellio","date":"January 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I love this question because I often hear people talk about all the awesome uses of being smart. I have a point of view on it for two main reasons: \u00a0a) I've took a bunch of standardized test in my life. \u00a0While no genius, I would generally qualify as smart\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Inside My Head"","block_context":{"text":"Inside My Head","link":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":134,"url":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=134","url_meta":{"origin":414,"position":1},"title":"Holistic thinking, Complexity and Inflation","author":"kellio","date":"February 19, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Ok...really its two different topics, so I'll take holistic thinking first. So I do HR consulting, and we are always talking about the big picture...creating a holistic transformation, etc, etc.\u00a0 Let's think about holistic.\u00a0 Its means whole.\u00a0 You're thinking about the whole thing. Why is this is pipe dream?\u00a0 Two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"economics\"","block_context":{"text":"economics","link":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?tag=economics"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43,"url":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=43","url_meta":{"origin":414,"position":2},"title":"US Healthcare: Too many hands in the pot","author":"kellio","date":"January 24, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Several political candidates are talking about some sort of universal health care. Everyone knows I am for socialized medicine. If we provide free basic education because we believe education is a right everyone has, then how can being healthy not also be a basic right? I would say health is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"economics\"","block_context":{"text":"economics","link":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?tag=economics"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":127,"url":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=127","url_meta":{"origin":414,"position":3},"title":"Wall Street Bonuses and HR Consulting","author":"kellio","date":"January 31, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I read today about Obama chiding Wall Street for their reported $40 billion dollars in bonuses this year (even though they were down over the past few years).\u00a0 It does offend one's sensibilities, I certainly agree. I mean...if risky mortgages are the source of the problem, then don't bail out\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Thoughts on Work"","block_context":{"text":"Thoughts on Work","link":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":101,"url":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=101","url_meta":{"origin":414,"position":4},"title":"Greatness…","author":"kellio","date":"October 2, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I had a consulting gig for work recently and got to see some pretty amazing sports memorabilia at a certain large sports apparel company's headquarters.\u00a0 This covered the entire wall. Bottom line:\u00a0 I loved Jordan.\u00a0 He made basketball look good.\u00a0 He achieved a greatness we all aspire to yet never\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=101#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasingeden.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/img_0202.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasingeden.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/img_0202.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasingeden.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/img_0202.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasingeden.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/img_0202.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasingeden.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/img_0202.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chasingeden.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/img_0202.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16,"url":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=16","url_meta":{"origin":414,"position":5},"title":"The Tyranny of Goals","author":"kellio","date":"October 10, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Making goals and working towards them is good right? 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