Become a Consultant
Consulting, as a verb, means to give advice or provide information. For instance, when you help your mom buy a new toaster based on your experience, you are also being a consultant.
Everyone often finds themselves in a position to offer advice because of their knowledge and experience. For example, managers often find themselves in the position to give advice to employees and coworkers. A sales professional might be asked for advice about buying a home. A tax accountant might speak with someone about retirement planning. A management consultant might offer advice on how to do things at work. A coworker might seek out advice about the best way to approach work assignments. A parent might speak with one of their children about college choices. A teacher might talk with one of their students about how to approach homework assignments.
It does not matter what outcome is expected. Whatever the outcome, if you do not guide the “customer” towards it, your advice is worth less than a bottle of water. A good consultant can change the way someone thinks, acts or will act in the future. Consulting is a cross between teaching and selling. This role can be performed by almost anyone who understands the needs of the other person.
15 things that every consultant should do:
Ask for permission prior to giving any advice. Before getting into the preacher mode, make sure that the sermon is welcome.
Being the problem finder is more effective than just trying to be a problem solver. Knowing the “why” behind a circumstance or a symptom helps find problems. Customers don’t always know the underlying cause of problems, and listening carefully to their situation can reveal more than a symptom.
Ask open ended questions to draw out the thoughts and objections behind their views. Then listen to the answer with an intention to understand, without being so intent on what you will say next that you forget to hear what is being said to you. Allow them to answer and only then restate and summarize what they've said. This will deepen your relationship and clarify your thinking.
Get an active agreement early. Get them to say “That’s right”, when you summarize the circumstance, the problem and the expected outcome. Get an active agreement by re-stating the circumstances.
Bring insights and new point of views to educate the customer. This requires intense research and bringing in other experts as needed. This new information must be accurate and must be shared in a way that makes people think. Finding this information relies on rigorous research, asking lots of questions, and finding sources that are not obvious at first glance. Once the information is gathered, it must be thought about in different ways until something unique emerges. It can sometimes require a lot of new thinking
Solve for the big picture. To get to the big picture you need to get to an agreed upon definition of the current state, make predictions about desired future states and identify the current and future constraints. From there, layout the solution and explore alternatives and recommended approaches. Build an actionable story.
Bring examples, data, and opinions to support your assertions. You cannot claim that, "I think it's better," or "I think you should do it this way," or "I feel that…" without backing up your claims with proof, data, and opinions.
Be an agitator not an Irritator. If you are not helping rethink or improve their thought process, you have low relevance. Always challenge the way people think, acting like a coach or a guide to help them achieve their goal better.
Be authentic. Don’t let fear or judgements drive your actions. Always be aligned to your values and beliefs.
Build personal connections. Share and learn personal stories. Learn the story of their success/struggle/adventure/etc. Show you care about them as a person.
Have respect and empathy for the “customer” in front of them and also when they are not around. Showing respect while someone is not around is actually harder than being with them.
Set aside your ego. Don’t take anything personally. It is not about you. Always be humble. Set aside the need to win the debate and instead focus on understanding each other.
Manage expectations aggressively. Focus on not only what you can help do, but also you will NOT help do.
Be a scientist. Be open minded and transparent. You must be willing to do things in unique ways and reflect on the feedback that comes inevitably as a result of being that way.
Help build consensus among your client and other stakeholders. Your job is not just to get your client to move on your advice, but also build support for that movement among enough stakeholders to make it a success for everyone.