Top 10 Qualities of a World-class Consultant

A world-class PSO is an organization with effective sales, marketing, delivery, and operational processes, tools, and resources that ensure customer needs are met, can achieve 100% reference-ability among its client base, and is able to meet financial goals such as bookings, revenue, and profitability goals.

To truly be world class, a PSO needs to attract and retain world-class consultants. Yes, these consultants need access to world-class tools and best-in-class processes that enable them to do their jobs well, but they also need to have the passion and focus that allows them to learn new skills and technologies and grow within the organization. Truly world-class consultants develop both the subject matter expertise required to deliver world-class services, but they also build the consulting, selling, and customer management skills required to build deep relationships with their clients and deliver profitable, repeatable projects.

I spent some time on a recent flight from Boston to San Francisco thinking about what makes a consultant "world-class." What are the qualities inherent in those individuals who can connect with their clients in a way that ensures that the client's needs are met, their challenges are addressed, and the necessary change is effectively delivered?

The following is a list of the top 10 qualities that I think are critical for a consultant to possess in order to be world-class. Admittedly, not all of these ideas are original, although some are, and I have done my best to site the original author who spoke of the quality. I apologize in advance if I missed anyone. So here is the list of 10.

A world-class consultant:

1. Communicates clearly and completely without bias, attitude, or judgement.
2. Remains a client advocate and keeps the client's best interests and needs top of mind at all times.
3. Seeks first to understand, and then to be understood. (I know I heard this somewhere, although I can't recall when or from whom.)
4. Asks questions designed to uncover the "real" pain, not just the "stated" pain. Jean DiGiovanna of ThinkPeople refers to this as "staying curious." (This is a common theme in many sales training and books, particularly those that espouse a "solution-selling" approach. It is also relevant to consultants who work to effect positive change in a client's organization.)
5. Is not afraid to tell the customer what they need to hear, rather than what they want to hear. (This is often difficult to do without being perceived as difficult or undiplomatic - its not what you say, but how you say it - and it is a place where sales and other groups may try to sensor the consultant.)
6. Is able to boil complex issues and situations down to simple frameworks that can be easily understood.
7. Is able to work across different departments and levels in an organization, be perceived as a trusted adviser, and can filter "baggage" and "noise" from the reality of the situation.
8. Can find advocates and evangelists within an organization who can help navigate the political structure.
9. Is able to ensure the client that she understands what is unique about this situation and that she can bring the breadth of her experience to help solve the problem.
10. Whenever possible, works to assist his client in finding their own solutions to the problem. (See Peter Blocks, Flawless Consulting.)

I will dig into each of these 10 qualities over the coming weeks.