A very good friend of mine, Kendall Langston, is teaching an MBA class next week at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand on the topic of, “Consultant of the Future” and asked me what I thought were the necessary elements to be a successful business consultant. Here is the quick list I came up with off the top of my head…
- Global mindset
- Insanely competent
- Absolutely superb communicator
- Extremely curious
- Understands their customer’s business and their customer’s customers
- Strong business acumen
- Voracious reader
- Understands their customer’s industry
- Understands the consulting industry
- Has a strategic mindset
- Studies the impact of technology
- Well-networked with other thought leaders
- Has proprietary research/processes
- Focused – works in a narrow niche area
- Has strong sales skills – to sell their consulting services
- Has a broad toolkit of best practices and methodologies
- Has superb follow-up and customer service
- Very, very strong work ethic
- Passionate about being a consultant
- Can deliver the required results / ROI
- Has long-term relationships with their clients
- Is respected and has a strong reputation in the consulting industry
- Innovative/creative thinker – critical thinker
- Nice person – 100% ethical, enjoyable to be around, humble
- Works well with others – good team player
Did I miss anything?
Great list John. Not sure there’s much more to add.
I agree with Joseph. I’d say you’ve covered both the hard skills and the soft skills.