Five skills to elevate your consulting game
Consulting is all about solving clients' problems, building consensus, and fostering commitment to change. An effective consultant elevates their game by mastering a handful of rare cognitive and influencing skills
Ten years ago, when I applied for a role at PwC, I had zero clue as to what consulting meant as a profession. At the time, I had a few years of experience at IBM Software Labs, where I worked on virtualization technologies and cloud computing as a Software Developer. I had just moved to the US and tried my luck at two major investment banks in NYC but felt stuck and unfulfilled. I wanted to leave that environment so badly that any opportunity to exit looked fine to me. So when a PwC referral came to be, I jumped at it with an open mind.
Soon enough, I realized that consulting was a radical shift from my prior experiences. Over time, I built new skills and figured my way out. I got the confidence that not only did I belong at this new workplace but also that I had a fair shot at making it to the top. My conviction came from the validation I continue to receive from my clients and the leadership at my firm.
Recently, a long-time friend said - "I want to be a consultant, but I am not sure if I will make it." That conversation forced me to think actively about what makes someone a great consultant. I created a list, analyzed it (almost way too much), and reviewed it with my trusted circle - that exercise was the genesis of this write-up.
In this article, I share five distinctive traits and skills that can point to a successful career in professional consulting. I explain each of them and how they uniquely apply to my profession.
In the past, my readers (you) have requested me to share more personal examples in my articles. I heard you; I have included relevant anecdotes to make it real. Although the anecdotes render the article a tad bit longer than I prefer (for SEO), I think its a fair trade-off.
I hope this helps anyone who has considered/ is considering working at a Strategy or Management Consulting firm.
Let's Dive In
Consulting at its core
Over the last decade, I have realized that consulting business, at its core, is all about solving clients' problems - problems that have been discovered or lay undiscovered underwater. And others that are yet to emerge in the world. Given this focus on problem-solving, it only makes sense that the consulting operations are underpinned by an apprenticeship learning model, hyper-collaboration, and unencumbered knowledge-sharing. My prior workplaces were far from operating like that.
In the same vein, consulting ways of working are quite distinct from those of the corporate world. And as you can imagine, the learning pathways are also distinctively different.
For instance, as soon as I joined the firm, I had to build a repertoire of what we call as Core Consulting skills - a collection of hard and soft skills you need to be a "Generalist" Consultant. On the job, I got proficient with:
- Tools of the trade - data visualization, presentations/ slideware, facilitation of large-group collaboration sessions, frameworks, approaches, blueprints
- The bread and butter - conducting market research, financial modeling, information gathering & organizing, interviewing/ surveying (active listening + asking high-quality questions), project management
- The problem-solving arsenal - learning and using mental models for critical thinking - Systems Thinking, Hypothesis Generation, Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
The list above sets up foundational skills for any professional services consultant - consider these as table stakes. In the next section, I delve into the five differentiating skills and traits that separate the great ones from the average ones.
#1: Abstract Thinking
1.1: What it is
- A higher-order reasoning skill that enables us to absorb information and make connections to the wider world.
- The ability to understand concepts that are real but not directly tied to concrete physical objects and experiences. The opposite is concrete thinking which is connected closely to objects and experiences that can be directly observed. For instance, thinking about the Statue of Liberty is a concrete thought, but thinking about what it represents — the idea of liberty — is abstract.[2]
1.2: How does it uniquely apply to Consulting
The clients engage professional consultants when they have not figured out the answers to their knotty questions and/ or would like to have an external perspective. An effective consultant would not just answer the mail, but she must employ a higher-order thinking approach and understand the question behind the question. And then, apply different heuristics and perspective lenses, and often reframe the problem. And one simply cannot do any of it without abstraction skills.
1.3: Let's make-it-real
One of my clients presented a problem (as they perceived it) - "We believe our transformation effort is slow and delivery costs are too high. Can you benchmark our spending and recommend operating model changes?"
First, we had to break it to the client that benchmarks are useless for this exercise. Each organization has a distinct strategy context, a unique cultural DNA and is at a different stage in its transformation lifecycle. Comparing them all on one common scale can be a good thought exercise for executives but will not yield an answer to "How to reduce expense ratio and increase throughput?"
Next, upon further qualitative and quantitative exploration, we found that it boiled down to three problems: 1: Reduced predictability due to frequent downtimes, 2: An underinvested technology infrastructure, 3: An overwhelming lack of accountability and sense of urgency in the workforce culture.
As you see, first, there is a reframing of the very problem. We went from "Why is our OpEx higher compared to peers" to "We are losing market share because of a delay in value delivery." And then, based on data analysis, we tied it to the abstract concept of organizational culture.
#2: Intellectual Curiosity
2.1: What it is
- A person's willingness and desire to learn new things and dig deeper than the surface knowledge
- Willingness and interest to acquire knowledge. The desire to understand why things are the way they are leads intellectually curious people to ask more questions and to reason what they see around them
2.2: How does it uniquely apply to Consulting
The management decides to bring external consultants in after the most apparent solution options have already been ruled out. Thus a good consultant has to think beyond the obvious, approach the situation with a beginner mindset and bring creative thinking to uncover/ design non-obvious solutions. Without intellectual curiosity, I cannot see how anyone can be successful at creative problem-solving.
2.3: Let's make-it-real
During digital transformation discovery phase, one of my clients spoke about an existing risk control requirement for their Claims Operations. The specific control had to do with the separation of duties across their operations staff to avoid fraud.
The control implementation sounded logical at first flush, but we were curious about the historical context. It turned out that the control was designed as an operational workaround because the tech solution was not advanced enough for real-time data verification, robust multi-layered access controls, and fraud detection.
In this specific instance, we uncovered the issue by being intellectually curious and asking questions at the risk of being considered dumb.
#3: Comfort with Ambiguity
3.1: What it is
- Ability to push forward with incomplete information while recognizing that developing new concepts involves uncertainty
- Quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness
- Ability to quickly develop a good-enough working understanding of new subjects, domains, and concepts
3.2: How does it uniquely apply to Consulting
The beauty of professional consulting work is that unknowns dominate it. Thus a good consultant must be comfortable with holding a fuzzy understanding of whatever they are working to define. She must be able to walk into a new environment knowing that the current understanding will evolve, and she might have to pivot as she goes.
She must also project the confidence that anything that comes their way is figure-out-able by research, collaboration, and utilizing the network of specialists around them.
The learning-credibility tension[3] in this profession is real; hence the ability to quickly acquire just enough working knowledge of new subjects without being bogged down by ambiguity separates a great consultant from an average one.
3.3: Let's make-it-real
Recently, I was on a pursuit team to put together a proposal for IT Strategy for a Client's Sales and Distribution function. The 10-week approach that we proposed was tailored to the RFP provided by the client.
We won the work, but a few weeks into the discovery process, we figured it was less about Sales and Distribution and more about IT and Digital Strategy. A quick pivot was warranted to get to desired outcomes. We collaboratively created a new approach with the client stakeholders, formed a small squad to perform targeted/ topical analysis, and developed a recommendation for the senior executives.
In this instance, the desired outcome became apparent midway through the engagement resulting in changing the analysis process and approach.
#4: Storytelling
4.1: What it is
- The process of sharing relatable stories instead of facts and figures with your audience
- Taking the audience's mind to a different place by using real-life examples and use cases to present a problem and explain the solution
- Piecing together a specific message, objective, and, ultimately, a wanted outcome
4.2: How does it uniquely apply to Consulting
Every client engagement I have ever been a part of involves co-defining a specific target state. That involves teasing out the ideas from the leadership and injecting outside-in market perspectives, ultimately marrying the two to create a uniquely advantaged way to win.
To do this successfully, one has to transport the audience to reimagine the possibilities, paint a picture of the future and push the thinking beyond the obvious. And great storytelling offers just that.
Another frequent task I deal with - creating material for executive and board consumption. Typical use cases are, and you guessed it - securing funding for the investment, providing an update on an ongoing program, or simply raising awareness for the things coming down the pike.
Thus an effective consultant should be able to distill the "so-what" from all the data, facts, and figures and roll it up to the right altitude so that audience can consume the information. Furthermore, she should be able to anticipate questions in the audience's minds and deliver the key message in an engaging manner. Ultimately, she has to build consensus and commitment by persuading the decision-makers to take action based on her logical analysis.
She leverages the art of storytelling to achieve this objective. It is an excellent technique that combines the power of creative expression, articulation, and linguistic skills to communicate effectively and achieve the desired outcomes I described above.
4.3: Let's make-it-real
We recently completed a 6-week effort to design a new tech platform that aims to advance client's data exchange capabilities so they can engage with other market participants (partners, distributors) more effectively.
It involved creating a vision, aligning on KPIs, designing solution architecture, and developing a roadmap, cost model, and investment plan. We had just about an hour with the executive. Our goal was to distill the 6-week analysis and put forth an investment ask for her. The storyline went through several iterations, and the final version followed this sequence:
#1: How are the market expectations for data exchange evolving? #2: Why should we invest now? What is the risk-of-inaction? #3: If we invest, what is the impact to existing growth KPIs? #4: What is the three year roadmap, milestones and investment plan? #5: What do we need to start - Year1 investment ask and High Level Execution Plan?
As you can see, the storyline did not delve deeper into the process and steps followed; rather, it created a compelling argument by connecting the dots across the industry trends, the organizational goals, and the decision maker's desire to leapfrog the competition.
This presentation led to a few more meetings, and ultimately we secured Y1 investment and conditional approval for outer years based on the value captured in Y1.
#5: Professional Skepticism
5.1: What it is
- Ability to stay objective, rational, and unbiased while analyzing data and evidence to form a judgment and/ or opinion
- Pressure testing or challenging existing assumptions, beliefs, and theories by subjecting them to systematic investigation
- An attitude that includes a questioning mind and a critical assessment of the evidence, facts, and situation
5.2: How does it uniquely apply to Consulting
Problem-solving requires critical thinking, which involves assessing situations/claims/ facts by weighing the supporting evidence and making a judgment based on the results of those thought processes.
This may include recalling experiences and relying on heuristics. This process is not immune to various cognitive biases, which can distort critical thinking and lead to misjudgment. Some examples of such biases are confirmation bias, recency bias, survivorship bias, availability bias, and fundamental attribution error.
Its imperative that during these thought exercises, a consultant remains objective by checking her biases. She has to draw on the scientific method (research, analysis, and peer review) to provide evidence for her points of view.
Professional skepticism is the basic tenet of critical thinking. This skill and trait isn't optional; it's a must-have for consulting profession. I would not hire a consultant who does not demonstrate a healthy dose of professional skepticism.
5.3: Let's make-it-real
We were helping one of my marquee clients to develop a new digital capability, and we wanted to explore potential FinTech partners who could get us to market faster. One of the FinTech targets showed up well in the selection process. The said FinTech also happened to have a joint business relationship with my firm. And I had a solid relationship with their top leaders. This meant I had to triple-check my own biases during the assessment to remain objective.
During the selection process, the target company proved they had the digital chops, a proven track record, a strong team, and the ability to scale their operations. Furthermore, they agreed to all terms and conditions. Overall, it felt like they wanted the deal and were ready to go all in. On paper, their scores looked perfect. The answer was clear: this company was my client's perfect partner.
At this point, we stepped back to apply professional skepticism, trying to find a smoking gun. We started questioning their agreement to all our terms. This also meant they were not too worried about their existing client base, current offering, or product strategy roadmap. The very fact that they were amenable to making consequential changes to their product strategy and architecture was something to be concerned about. That deal did not happen, and many people were unhappy that day. But I knew it was the right call.
In the example above, you can see how the consultant has to question and challenge the known facts while navigating through her conflicts and biases to always remain objective in serving the client's interest. I apply this philosophy in my everyday work to never take things at face value by being a professional skeptic.
In Conclusion
Much like any other profession, mine requires empathy, leadership, adaptability, continuous learning, effective communication, relationship building, and so on. I consider these the "least common denominator" for every profession that involves collaborating with knowledge workers and leading teams.
However, when you move away from the generalization and look closer, the five skills I elaborated on in this article have specific applications to a consultant's work life. An effective consultant must cultivate and hone these must-have skills to enjoy and excel at her work.
I hope you enjoyed reading this. Let me know your thoughts, ideas, and comments. Do you agree with this list of top 5 consulting skills - which ones did I miss?
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Disclaimers
Views expressed are mine and mine alone and do not necessarily represent those of my firm or my colleagues.
I am not compensated by companies for promoting, reviewing, or recommending their products or services.