There’s a certain halo effect that often surrounds the field of consulting. It’s the alluring idea that a consultant’s job is to walk in the door, sweep everyone off their feet with their brilliant ideas, and then leave with a fat paycheck.
Now, while some masterful consultants make solving cases look like a breeze, there’s much more to their work than meets the eye. Namely, a set of consulting skills that enables them to deliver massive value to their clients every time without fail.
Let’s look at what these are.
So What Makes a Good Consultant?
The first thing that comes to mind for most people about consultants is that they are deeply knowledgeable. They know their industry and areas of specialty, both inside and out. But knowing about a topic doesn’t necessarily mean being able to share that knowledge and, more importantly, applying it to solve problems.
To be an effective consultant, you need to listen to your clients and analyze what they say. You need to reframe that information and put it into context to point out correlations between issues. You also have to take charge of the case and drive the conversation forward to solve problems collaboratively. And of course, repeat that every time you’re in the meeting room.
People often wonder if you need a consulting certification to do that. The short answer is no. You don’t legally require certification to become a consultant, and there are other ways to pick up these important skills. However, a great training program or mentor can definitely make a big difference in your professional development and career.
[ Read: Here’s Exactly How to Become a Certified Life Coach]
Whichever way you choose, there are some abilities every consultant should possess to deliver results for their clients. Here are the six most essential consulting skills that you absolutely need to succeed in this field.
The 6 Most Important Consulting Skills
Here are some of the soft skills and competencies that make successful consultants.
1. Analytical Skills
No matter how many frameworks, cheat sheets, or strategy models you have up your sleeve, great consulting always comes down to strong analytical skills. What matters is whether you can deconstruct and categorize information effectively, identify new correlations, and draw conclusions from it all.
Analytical thinking requires you to use critical thinking (there are competency tests that measure these skills) and logical reasoning. You will need this to research your industry regularly and interpret data points in a way that leads to tangible solutions.
Besides, analytical thinking requires creativity too. It’s often being imaginative that helps you link facts to possible opportunities that can be implemented in the future.
2. Problem-Solving Skills
A solution-oriented mindset is the biggest asset of a consultant. When you arrive at your first meeting, your clients have likely thought of all the most obvious ways that their issues could be solved (and of course, none of them worked, which is why they hired you).
Consulting frameworks will help you map out all facets of a case on the spot and reveal insights your client has not considered before. By fleshing out these ideas in detail and clearly comparing them, you can present solutions to your clients that they can evaluate and implement.
[ Read: 7 Consulting Frameworks That Win Big Clients ]
3. Strategic Thinking
Strategic thinking is a unique combination of the conceptual understanding of a business situation and grasping its practical applications. Consultants need to have a comprehensive perspective on the different layers of a business, from the more abstract, visionary ideas down to the daily business as usual.
A lot of business consulting is zooming in and out of these layers and finding the points where they’re disconnected. This also means being great at observing details that might normally skip other people’s attention.
4. Effective Communication
As a consultant, you’ll be presenting frameworks and concepts to your clients in real time, either in person or on a call. You need to be able to transmit your ideas and interpret data in a way that is clear and understandable.
Besides presenting your point of view, you’ll also need to interview your clients and ask solution-oriented questions that move the case forward. You must have great listening skills to collaborate effectively with all your stakeholders, often across multiple functions.
5. Leadership Skills
As a consultant, your aim is to drive the conversation forward and keep it productive to bring the client closer to their business goals. You need to be assertive and steer the discussion in the direction that leads to solutions in the fastest way possible.
If you want to be outstanding in your field, you need to do more than what’s expected of you and strive to constantly outperform yourself in terms of the results you can bring to your clients.
No one’s going to tell you how to conduct a session or what your next steps should be, which calls for an entrepreneurial spirit—especially if you work as a self-employed, independent consultant.
6. Adaptability
On the other side of that relentless drive lies the ability to adapt to unexpected situations. Issues may arise during a client relationship, and a case might go in a very different direction than what you initially expected.
Clients sometimes change their minds or make a different decision than what you advised them to, and you need to accept that. You can’t be too invested in a case because, at the end of the day, it’s their business, and they have the right to make the final call (and bear the consequences).
Adaptability also applies to rapidly changing industry trends. You need to be up-to-date with how the market is evolving and bring those insights to your clients. What might have worked a few years ago may not be an effective strategy anymore, and you need to keep up with the times.
The 44 Most Important Skills in Every Consulting Niche
Besides the core skills all consultants need, there are some specialized competencies that relate to the business function you’re advising. You need industry-specific knowledge to specialize as a consultant and give relevant advice to your clients.
This means being savvy of the key frameworks used in your industry and niche, the most important players in the field, the mechanism of industry relationships, and the most recent trends.
Here are some essential skills you should pick up to be effective in your consulting specialty.
6 Strategy Consulting Skills
Strategy consultants are known for their visionary abilities. They can look at the bird’s-eye view of the company and rise above problems by projecting a better future trajectory for the business.
Not one to build castles in the sky, they are also extremely practical and can turn their ideas into solid plans.
To do that, they need to have the following skills:
- Identifying correlations
- Long-term planning
- Critical thinking
- Managing complexity
- Unbiased judgment
- Strong listening and questioning skills
7 Management Consulting Skills
Operations and management consultants look at the everyday procedures and priorities of a business. They ensure that each function in the company aligns with bigger organizational objectives.
The following skills are essential for successful management consultants:
- Systems thinking
- Process optimization
- Attention to detail
- Solving complex problems
- Project management
- Risk management
- Prioritization
5 HR Consulting Skills
Human resources consultants focus on the recruitment process and issues surrounding employees and team culture. They help advise CHROs and other decision-makers in the human resources department on employee well-being and satisfaction, as well as performance and productivity.
Some of their most valuable skills are:
- Empathy
- Communication on a personal and organizational level
- Cultivating the right work culture
- Emotional intelligence
- Hiring and interviewing
7 Marketing and Sales Consulting Skills
Consultants who advise on marketing and sales strategies need hands-on experience in these areas. They have to understand the strategy of each individual promotional channel, and the impact they collectively create on brand recognition and revenue.
Their most important skills are:
- Application of marketing frameworks
- Creative thinking
- Psychographics mapping
- Market research
- Brand and image management
- Public relations management
- Practical knowledge of social media, SEO, advertising, and funnel strategies
6 Financial and Accounting Consulting Skills
Financial consultants aim to maximize the revenue and profitability of companies. They bring in outside expertise on taxation, investments, and cash flow optimization so the leadership team can make informed financial decisions.
Their most valuable skills are:
- Accounting
- Budgeting
- Revenue optimization
- Application of profitability frameworks
- Investment portfolio optimization
- Data analysis
7 IT Consulting Skills
Consultants in the field of technology bridge the gap between the strategy of the organization and the IT solutions that make them possible. They often need to operate as software engineers and strategists at the same time.
To do that, they need to master the following skills:
- Coding
- Software engineering
- Risk management
- Systems thinking
- Process optimization
- User experience optimization
- Attention to detail
How to Develop Consulting Skills
By now, you probably have a good idea about your strengths and weaknesses in business consulting. The best way to take a leap forward in your consulting career is to focus on your weaknesses and consciously improve them.
There are several ways you can get better in this field. You can enroll in new, specialized training or hire a coach to help you cultivate a specific skill. You can also join a practice group or take a job at one of the top consulting firms to learn by observing others.
Above all, you get better at anything by doing it repeatedly. So practice as much as possible, and ask for feedback from your mentors and peers to track your progress.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2022 and has since been updated for accuracy.
