CHAPTER ONE
EMBRACING THE CONSULTING MINDSET

To be successful in consulting you'll need to understand its essence: What consulting is, and what consulting isn't. While many people doing consulting work are not called consultants, conversely, many people who do bear the title are not truly consultants, or consulting may only constitute a small part of what they do.

Corporations formulate strategies with the help of management consultants; a computer programmer is called a software development consultant; travel agencies are manned by travel consultants; gardeners call themselves landscaping consultants; and a person selling double-glazing introduces himself as a sales consultant. These people have very different roles and different skills!

The unraveling of consulting and its complexities is not trivial. It's a diverse activity delivered in many different contexts. We'll use an incremental approach to reveal the cornerstones of a consulting service as well as the obstacles and conflicts associated with it.

Understand the basic consulting proposition

Consulting is a helping relationship based upon expertise and experience.

Consulting is indeed a helping relationship. Your primary focus is to help your client, or any other stakeholder you might be working with, to achieve a desired outcome.

The type of help provided varies depending on the need and the context. Advising, performing analyses, formulating strategies, designing processes, and implementing technology solutions are some of the most common examples of consulting "help" today.

And the help we provide is based on two key ingredients: expertise and experience. Together they form the basis of the basic consulting proposition.

A client plans to build a new house and calls in the services of an architect, who, for the purpose of our discussion, is a consultant with specialist knowledge in the design of buildings.

Charging on an hourly basis, the architect inspects the client's plot of land and helps her to design her house. His advice is based on the expertise he acquired at a school of architecture and on the experience he brings from having designed many similar buildings over the past 10?years.

The product of these two components defines his consulting proposition, the value that he can deliver, and in essence the value that the client is getting for her money.

The balance of expertise and experience that forms a consultant's personal proposition can vary tremendously. A graduate new to the industry will add value based mainly on expertise acquired through specific education, whereas the proposition of a senior consultant is more likely to be experience weighted, drawing on diverse business situations, participation in complex projects, and the findings of research accrued over many years. Irrespective of this balance, we have introduced the two most important variables that define a consultant's proposition, expertise and experience, which if applied effectively can result in a powerful and high-value service.

Do you understand your own consulting proposition?

Understand your own consulting proposition and the expertise and experience behind it. You'll need to explain it in a variety of situations. Clients have high expectations and may sometimes challenge you, putting your proposition to the test.

"What industry certification entitles you to consult in this area?," they may ask. "How long have you worked in this solution domain?" or "Can you give an example of a similar case that you have worked on in the past? What was the outcome?" These are fair and reasonable questions that you should be able to answer professionally.

In Chapter 3, "Establishing credibility," we'll explore the skill of articulating your proposition with a view to building a credible consultant-client relationship.

Who typically embarks on a career in consulting?

The list includes but is not limited to:

• Recent graduates with specialized training. Graduates from top-tier programs or with advanced certifications.
• Professionals seeking a career pivot. Experienced professionals looking to leverage their expertise in new ways.
• Industry experts. Individuals with years of domain-specific experience and who are well positioned to advise others.
• Freelancers and entrepreneurs. Individuals who have successfully run businesses or freelance projects.

What are the principal domains in consulting?

Some common domains include:

• Management consulting. Focuses on improving an organization's performance by analyzing business problems and implementing strategic solutions. Examples include the optimization of operations, organizational restructuring, and market entry strategies.
• Technology consulting. Helps organizations leverage technology to achieve their goals. This includes IT (information technology) systems implementation, digital transformation, and cybersecurity solutions.
• Financial consulting. Provides guidance on financial management, investment strategies, and risk assessment. It may also involve advising on mergers and acquisitions or tax optimization.
• Human resources consulting. Addresses workforce-related issues such as talent acquisition, workforce planning, diversity and inclusion, employee engagement, and compensation strategy.
• Specialized consulting. Includes niche areas like corporate social responsibility, compliance, legal, healthcare, and the environment, where experts provide highly specialized knowledge.

Eight principal skills are needed to work in consulting

Consulting is a multifaceted profession requiring a breadth of skills. The tools provided in this book will help you develop some of them. While your level of ability may vary in each, a basic proficiency is required in the following areas.

1. Analytical thinking. The ability to analyze complex problems, identify patterns, and develop actionable insights. This involves critical thinking and a strong grasp of data analytics.
2. Communication skills. Effective communication is vital, as consultants must present their findings and recommendations clearly to diverse stakeholders. This includes writing reports, delivering presentations, and facilitating discussions.
3. Problem solving. The core of consulting lies in problem solving. Consultants must approach problems creatively, think strategically, and devise practical solutions.
4. Industry knowledge. Depending on the area of focus, consultants need deep expertise in specific industries or domains. This allows them to offer relevant and impactful advice.
5. Interpersonal skills. Building trust and rapport with clients is essential. Consultants should excel in collaboration, negotiation, and managing relationships.
6. Adaptability and resilience. Consulting projects often involve tight deadlines, changing priorities, and high-pressure environments. Consultants must be flexible and resilient in these situations.
7. Business acumen. An understanding of strategy, business operations, and economics is crucial for consultants to deliver value to their clients.
8. Project management. Consultants often juggle multiple projects simultaneously. Effective time management, organization, and prioritization are critical skills.

Who's qualified to be a consultant?

Consulting is a largely unregulated field. With the exception of certain specific regulated disciplines, there are usually no minimum qualifications attached to the title. Anyone who chooses to brand themselves as a consultant therefore becomes a consultant, and anyone that a consulting company chooses to hire, albeit according to their own rigorous selection criteria, becomes a consultant. The resultant diversity brings with it many consequences.

Compare consulting with a strictly regulated profession. If you want to call yourself a chartered accountant and print the title on a business card, there are professional exams that you must pass even after completing a university degree. The title is protected. If you start practicing without attaining the mandatory qualifications, sooner or later a governing body will sue you. The same applies to other regulated professions, such as being a medical doctor.

In consulting there are generally no such regulations. The industry is diverse and more difficult to regulate. As a result, a wide variety of firms and individuals are presenting themselves as consultants. The performance of these people can be mixed. Some may be very good contributors, some mediocre, and others may perform badly, rarely earning the opportunity to work for the same client more than once.

Consider this dilemma from the client perspective. For clients there is a risk associated with engaging a consulting firm for the first time. The firm may bring impressive references and present interesting proposals, but until you've seen them perform and produce results you never know exactly what you're...