1. One View of Consulting

2. Course of the Conversation What is a Consultant? What is Consulting? What Does It Take To Become an Effective Consultant? What Basic Skills Do You Need to be a Consultant? What Specific Skills Do You Need to be a Consultant? What Are The Key Deliverables From Successful Consultants? What are Your Consulting Services? A Management Consulting Process A Management Consulting Competency Framework Training, Skills, Attributes of Successful Consultants Problems Challenges, Questions from the Field Your Consulting Skills and Competencies Plan What is a Consultant? What is Consulting? What Does It Take To Become an Effective Consultant? What Basic Skills Do You Need to be a Consultant? What Specific Skills Do You Need to be a Consultant? What Are The Key Deliverables From Successful Consultants? What are Your Consulting Services? A Management Consulting Process A Management Consulting Competency Framework Training, Skills, Attributes of Successful Consultants Problems Challenges, Questions from the Field Your Consulting Skills and Competencies Plan 3. What is a Consultant? Verb from Latin: consultare "to discuss Noun A person who provides expert advice professionally A consultant is an experienced individual that is trained to analyze and advise a client in order to help the client make the best possible choices. A person who provides expert advice professionally A consultant is an experienced individual that is trained to analyze and advise a client in order to help the client make the best possible choices. A consultant is a person in a position to have some influence over an individual, a group, or an organization, but who has no direct power to make changes or implement programs. Peter Block Synonyms adviser - counselor 4. What is Consulting? Applying knowledge, understanding, method, and insight to provide clients effective business solutions that deliver tangible operational benefit Offering unique and/or innovative perspective that enhances a clients business capabilities and adds measurable value to helping client achieve their desired outcomes (mission) Applying knowledge, understanding, method, and insight to provide clients effective business solutions that deliver tangible operational benefit Offering unique and/or innovative perspective that enhances a clients business capabilities and adds measurable value to helping client achieve their desired outcomes (mission) 5. What Do You Want to Understand About Consulting and About Being a Consultant? Consulting What Do You Want to Understand About Consulting and About Being a Consultant? 6. What Does It Take To Become an Effective Consultant? You dont have to be the worlds foremost expert; you simply need to know more than your client knows Becoming a successful consultant takes more than just hard work and determination -- It takes passion! You dont have to be the worlds foremost expert; you simply need to know more than your client knows Becoming a successful consultant takes more than just hard work and determination -- It takes passion! 7. What Categories of Skills Do You Need to be a Consultant? Technical Skills Your area of expertise, you need to have some knowledge or expertise in a particular area Interpersonal Skills Consulting is all about dealing with people either as individuals or in groups whether they be entry level employees or C-suite executives. put your ideas into a coherent string of words and sentences that other people can understand. Be able to disagree in a reasonable and rational way Consulting Skills Engage Engage - Engage Discover and Discuss Listen Understand, Recommend Decision and Implementation Continue or Close Out Technical Skills Your area of expertise, you need to have some knowledge or expertise in a particular area Interpersonal Skills Consulting is all about dealing with people either as individuals or in groups whether they be entry level employees or C-suite executives. put your ideas into a coherent string of words and sentences that other people can understand. Be able to disagree in a reasonable and rational way Consulting Skills Engage Engage - Engage Discover and Discuss Listen Understand, Recommend Decision and Implementation Continue or Close Out 8. Be a good listener. Consultants never assume and dont hesitate to ask questions until they understand their clients needs fully. Be a team player. While personal goals are important, the customers goal must come first. Be able to market. Consultants are often great at client work but miss out on marketing. You need to be good at both to stay in business. Gain client trust. To uncover the real issues, you have to be able to develop a strong relationship with your clients. Passion for their cause helps, but for integrity, you also need to be a critical friend. Remember whos the star. Its tempting to think youre clever when you solve a seemingly intractable problem. But successful consultants need humility and must remember that the customer is always the star of the story. What Specific Skills Do You Need to be a Consultant? Be a good listener. Consultants never assume and dont hesitate to ask questions until they understand their clients needs fully. Be a team player. While personal goals are important, the customers goal must come first. Be able to market. Consultants are often great at client work but miss out on marketing. You need to be good at both to stay in business. Gain client trust. To uncover the real issues, you have to be able to develop a strong relationship with your clients. Passion for their cause helps, but for integrity, you also need to be a critical friend. Remember whos the star. Its tempting to think youre clever when you solve a seemingly intractable problem. But successful consultants need humility and must remember that the customer is always the star of the story. 9. Have self-confidence and be as adept at delivering bad news as good. Theres nothing worse than consultants who are not sure of themselves, especially when theyre being asked about sensitive issues. Have a good understanding of the business and of themselves. A consultant has theoretical and practical knowledge. Its important to know what solutions have worked in the past and to have ideas about how to improve them. Have transferable skills. Cookie-cutter approaches are weak. A great consultant is able to apply learning across different situations to come up with innovative ideas. The result should be practical new strategies that are credibleand that work. Have the ability to simplify and explain a problem. Not every customer cares about regression analysis. A consultant needs tools to explain ideas simply, whether through a diagram or a metaphor. Have more than one solution to a problem. Stuff happens and things change. Successful consultants foresee multiple solutions. They are also ready to think on their feet when challenged and to improvise. What Specific Skills Do You Need to be a Consultant? Have self-confidence and be as adept at delivering bad news as good. Theres nothing worse than consultants who are not sure of themselves, especially when theyre being asked about sensitive issues. Have a good understanding of the business and of themselves. A consultant has theoretical and practical knowledge. Its important to know what solutions have worked in the past and to have ideas about how to improve them. Have transferable skills. Cookie-cutter approaches are weak. A great consultant is able to apply learning across different situations to come up with innovative ideas. The result should be practical new strategies that are credibleand that work. Have the ability to simplify and explain a problem. Not every customer cares about regression analysis. A consultant needs tools to explain ideas simply, whether through a diagram or a metaphor. Have more than one solution to a problem. Stuff happens and things change. Successful consultants foresee multiple solutions. They are also ready to think on their feet when challenged and to improvise. 10. What Are The Key Deliverables From Successful Consultants? Business Development Business Continuity Highest Quality Solutions and Services Exceed Client Expectations Revenue Generation Earn fees Develop New Intellectual Capital New Knowledge Improved Personal Skills Improved Consulting Skills Business Development Business Continuity Highest Quality Solutions and Services Exceed Client Expectations Revenue Generation Earn fees Develop New Intellectual Capital New Knowledge Improved Personal Skills Improved Consulting Skills 11. What are Your Consulting Services? (Exercise) ? 12. A Management Consulting Process Foundation for Success Packaging is Important (in every facet) Listen, Interpret, Test Confidence + Humility Professional Growth Self Reliance + Teamwork Ingenuity + Initiative Prepare + Focus Business is Relationship-Based !!! Source: unknown 13. General Management Consulting Competency Framework Personal Skills courtesy, manners, business protocols, dress for success Business Development Skills understand client and needs, business model, operations, strategic direction and outcomes Vertical Expertise competency in the subject matter area(s) within which you consult Horizontal Expertise some level of competency and certainly understanding of the edge based practices/products/services your organzation provides so you can recognize opportunities and discuss possible solutions w/clients Personal Skills courtesy, manners, business protocols, dress for success Business Development Skills understand client and needs, business model, operations, strategic direction and outcomes Vertical Expertise competency in the subject matter area(s) within which you consult Horizontal Expertise some level of competency and certainly understanding of the edge based practices/products/services your organzation provides so you can recognize opportunities and discuss possible solutions w/clients 14. Training, Skills, Attributes of Successful Consultants Personal skills would include: Self management and discipline understanding how you operate and how you view things; this is extremely critical so someone is aware of what they have and what they need to work on Work ethic/approach to work Being able to communicate in written form and verbally Able to facilitate skill to facilitate a client, a group, in a moment of conflict in a project; this is about demonstrating facilitative behavior as opposed to being a facilitator Working well individually and in teams e.g., able to communicate in a group when there are differences of opinion Creativity Flexibility Align competencies with individual goals and personal and professional growth Align with performance appraisals so we can sort consultants and know when people need help Personal skills would include: Self management and discipline understanding how you operate and how you view things; this is extremely critical so someone is aware of what they have and what they need to work on Work ethic/approach to work Being able to communicate in written form and verbally Able to facilitate skill to facilitate a client, a group, in a moment of conflict in a project; this is about demonstrating facilitative behavior as opposed to being a facilitator Working well individually and in teams e.g., able to communicate in a group when there are differences of opinion Creativity Flexibility Align competencies with individual goals and personal and professional growth Align with performance appraisals so we can sort consultants and know when people need help 15. Training, Skills, Attributes of Successful Consultants Business development capabilities include: Understand our clients and the environments in which they operate so you have context for all the personal skills Understand your organization business model and the attributes of your ideal client Expertise in creating, cultivating, maintaining and in some cases closing our client relationships CRM is extremely important. Business development capabilities include: Understand our clients and the environments in which they operate so you have context for all the personal skills Understand your organization business model and the attributes of your ideal client Expertise in creating, cultivating, maintaining and in some cases closing our client relationships CRM is extremely important. 16. Training, Skills, Attributes of Successful Consultants Vertical and Horizontal Expertise: The vertical and horizontal expertise includes understanding what we sell, what we deliver, and what are the solutions and the relationships between them. Its linking our practice and solution capability to accounts. When you tie personal skills and business development together in this context you get portfolio building Vertical and Horizontal Expertise: The vertical and horizontal expertise includes understanding what we sell, what we deliver, and what are the solutions and the relationships between them. Its linking our practice and solution capability to accounts. When you tie personal skills and business development together in this context you get portfolio building 17. Problems, Challenges, Questions ??? 18. Your Consulting Skills and Competencies Plan Exercise ???