Have Briefcase, Will Travel: Making the Transition to
Consulting
By Rita Bennett
For anyone considering a career transition into consulting,
there is good news: The time is right in a number of important
fields. Around the world, governments and businesses are
in need of experienced advisers in IT, security, technology,
and engineering, to name just a few. And as Asia’s
economic expansion continues apace, the outlook for vigorous
commercial growth in places like China, Singapore and Korea
looks bright as well—bringing with it opportunities
to market independent business expertise in fields such
as management, finance, and HR and international management
development.
In terms of consulting, what these global macroeconomic
trends suggest obviously depends on numerous factors—many
of them personal. One first has to do a candid self-assessment
of skills, interests, and personality factors, all of which
have a bearing on the success of one’s transition
from professional staff or management into the consulting
realm.
Take Personal Stock First
Perhaps the most important thing to consider is whether
you have the experience and skills that will be sought after
in the marketplace. Certainly, this includes a solid résumé,
a demonstrable track record of accomplishments, and a strong
network in your field of interest.
Your personal interests, too, should match up with the
path you are considering. First and foremost, you should
have a passion for the work. It’s not enough to want
to “be more independent,” or “set your
own hours,” or “take on new challenges.”
Although consulting will offer those things, be prepared:
typically, the hours are longer, and you will often find
that you have less control over your schedule because you
are now on the front lines of the customer-service business.
A passion for what you do will make these changes seem less
disagreeable.
Don’t forget that consulting work often requires
a lot of travel, so business travel should be something
you consider a perk, not a burden. And consulting involves
a great deal of personal interaction; if you don’t
enjoy working with people, you won’t enjoy being a
consultant.
Such considerations apply whether you open your own consultancy
or work with a consulting firm. In fact, if you are thinking
of starting your own business, remember that all the bad
stories you have heard are probably true—and then
some. The hours and the work are never-ending. Hence, being
passionate about what you do is not a bromide; it is a necessity.
An Effective Consultant Is…
In the end, many of these personal considerations reflect
the personality and leadership factors you see identified
in work-style inventories such as the Myers-Briggs evaluation.
Today’s successful consultant is more than just self-motivated.
She or he is expert in active listening; good at
quickly assessing organizational styles and cultures; analytical
and skilled in organizing work and teams; and able to project
credibility and inspire confidence.
The personality characteristics cited here are not all-inclusive;
they are representative of the qualities encountered among
the most successful consultants. These traits are included
to give you a best-practices sample of what it takes to
be a great consultant. Think back to consultants you may
have encountered in your career: What made them successful
or unsuccessful in your view?
So You Still Want to Consult
Once you have decided to make the career change to consulting,
you’ll find entire library shelves filled with advice
on how to make the transition smoothly and successfully.
There is a wealth of published information about how to
set up your own consultancy and/or join an established consulting
firm, and tips on bringing along your network to build your
new business.
That said, certain imperatives do tend to rise to the top.
Here are ten tips to keep in mind as you pursue your transition
into the consulting world.
1. View your client as yourself. The American
novelist John Steinbeck once said, “No one wants advice,
only collaboration.” We all want to feel that the
person we’re paying for an independent perspective
and expert counsel truly understands our business, appreciates
our challenges, and is invested in helping us devise the
best solutions. If you consider how you would feel in the
same situation as your client, you are well on the way to
building a good relationship.
2. Maintain high standards. Consulting
is all about establishing and maintaining your integrity,
credibility, reputation, and the trust of your clients.
If you’re not conducting your business ethically,
you won’t be in business for long.
3. Never underestimate the power of transparency.
It’s important to be open in all your dealings
with your clients, including how you report results and
accomplishments, and how you handle the business side of
the relationship, such as hours, fees, and incidental expenses.
Always provide accurate, detailed bills for your services,
and when you deliberately under bill or write off some of
your time, let your client know that as well. Transparency
contributes to trust.
4. Remember that your reputation is your only
asset. In the consulting business, you are marketing
yourself. Your experience and persuasive skills are part
of the package, but everything is based on what you have
done for others. A good reputation in consulting takes years
to build, and can be damaged in a flash when a client is
dissatisfied. So remember, whenever the client calls—answer!
5. Keep your skills and your network current. This
should be self-evident, but alas, in consulting as in other
professions, we do sometimes have a tendency to slow down
or take certain things for granted. In today’s business
environment, new developments, emerging trends, and technology
shifts require that we constantly update our knowledge and
skill sets. As for your business network, it’s much
like your network of friends and family: it requires constant
care and feeding. Do it right, and you may even find strong
friendships developing from your network of business associates.
6. Admit your mistakes. The willingness
to admit a mistake, apologize, and take quick corrective
action may seem a no-brainer—but we all know that
it doesn’t happen nearly as often as it should. By
taking responsibility when things go wrong, you’ll
show your clients that their business matters to you.
7. Be passionate about what you do. This
was covered earlier, but it’s one of the differentiators
of the successful consultant. Loving what you do contributes
to the enthusiasm you project for your clients’ business
challenges, and the solutions you are helping them to develop.
8. Listen well and stay accessible. This
applies both in the physical sense (return client calls
immediately) and in the metaphorical sense of being approachable.
You want your clients to be comfortable enough with you
to ask questions, challenge what you say, and tell you what
you need to know to give them the best service.
9. Be willing to work your way out of a job. Believe
it or not, a good consultant is ready to tell the client
when further work is unnecessary or will not be productive.
Clients are paying you for your best advice, and they’ll
reward you with referrals and future opportunities for business
if they trust your honest (and sound) advice.
10. Take risks, and even be willing to fail. In
consulting as in life, you have to take risks and be willing
to fail if you hope to learn, grow, and truly succeed. Be
willing to take risks with your thinking, to risk pushing
your clients in the direction you believe they need to go.
You will be rewarded for taking the tougher road, the more
challenging approach, in order to accomplish worthy goals.
Or as the Will Rogers classic goes: You've got to go
out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is.
````````````````````````
For more than twenty-five years, Rita Bennett has been a
management and HR consultant specializing in global management
development. She has founded and sold her own international
management and HR consultancy, and provided service to global
1000 companies around the world. Rita now serves as senior
vice president for strategy at Aperian Global, an international
consulting firm with offices in the United States, Asia,
and Europe. In addition, Rita serves on the Board of Directors
of the Society of Human Resource Management.
|
send
feedback