Good consultants in today’s world are plentiful so why
are great ones hard to find?
Given today’s world and
the commercial realities of supply and demand, I think it is reasonable for us
to proceed with the following working assumptions:
- Bad Consultants do not exist in the marketplace as most bad consultants burn more bridges then they build making themselves ultimately redundant. The few well connected exceptions should be set aside for purposes of this article.
- Consultants are defined as primarily working for an agency and/or for themselves with purpose to offer consulting expertise in business areas and/or areas of IT like software, big data and infrastructure. That said, most of the below article applies globally to the consulting industry in my view.
So, a good consultant,
how can he or she be defined? Business Dictionary defines the term “Consultant” as follows:
Experienced
professional who provides expert knowledge (often packaged under a catchy name)
for a fee. He or she works in an advisory capacity only and is usually not
accountable for the outcome of a consulting exercise.
I think this definition
is a traditionally accurate and encompassing one, which has given rise to a
generation of good consultants. In my view, they have the following key traits
which are pointers to personality and professional standing in terms of
motivation, modus operandi and cultural propensity. A good consultant
today is expert at reading any person or situation (i.e. High EQ), a prolific
networker, technically savvy in their chosen area along with been expert at
protecting their own interests and that of their company/agency in a tripartite
situation. These impressive traits make for a good consultant but is it enough?
I don’t think so, which
is why it’s so hard to find a great consultant who has that X factor trait.
Personally, I think a great consultant understands and possesses the traits of
a good consultant but refuses to be defined by them. He or she will balance
these elements against the higher traits of strategic awareness with view to true
value creation (not just “on paper gains”) , sustainable design
practices and a good level of ethics. Sometimes it’s better to shake
a prospective client’s hand and say goodbye rather than accept a high earning
fee for a job that is setup to fail. Picture a prospective client who is
convinced a problem lies in x part of their organisation whereas the
problem really lies in y and z areas. This client won’t entertain
the notion of been wrong; would you accept his money or just walk away? Good
consultants may accept his money and find a way to mitigate the risk posed by
the intrenched position, whereas great ones would care to share the reality and
then walk away. Such a stance may not be good for the bottom line in the
shorter term, but karma is still king and great reputations in consulting rely
more on the higher strategic suite of traits when on the lower level of
tactical traits every good consultant has.
So leaving what is often
the easy way to one side, maybe more great consultants will rise with new
motivational drivers found in these higher strategic traits rather than been
purely tactical in their careers and accordingly, how they professionally
define themselves. Unlocking such potential with a different view and approach
to consulting would have a seriously good return for all involved in my view.
What do you think? Leave your opinion today...
About the author: John Mulhall is a newly Minted Software Developer and Community Manager. John is also a committed blogger and from February 2016 onwards, will be publishing blogs every second week on topics around Technology, Leadership and Sustainable Capitalism.
Sources/Credits:
Pics;
Credits;
Definition of
consulting:
