Five Ways to Raise your Game in Consulting
How to Differentiate Yourself and Your Consultancy
First of Five Ways to Raise Your Game
By David Norman, FCMC, CMC-AF
Over a short two-day span several consulting related articles caught my attention. First, Confessions of a Whistleblower by Garrison Lovely highlighted several cultural problems at the consulting firm, McKinsey. Lovely writes openly his experiences working in the $15 Billion annual revenue (2022) firm and recommends an approach to more accountability, especially in government arenas. Lovely has since left McKinsey.
The second ‘hit’ came in a post by CEO Brad Jackson on LinkedIn that the Seattle-based business and technology consulting firm, Slalom Consulting, is laying off seven percent of its workforce. He stated, appropriately, today “is the most challenging day in our company’s history as we share gratitude and say goodbye to some of our colleagues and friends.”
So, why position these two public-facing pieces together? First, the obvious, they are about my profession, management consulting. Second, and pertinent herewith, is that, taken together, they point to a continuing shift in the marketplace for consultants – specifically, the likely entry of experienced consultants previously hired by firms into the world of the solopreneur.
As a multi-year solo, I encourage you to do so, build your own book-of-business. Consulting, at one level, is still the ‘wild, wild West’ in that it is unregulated at local, state or federal level – likely the largest professional services group so unlicensed. CPAs are regulated and licensed at the State level. Attorneys are also licensed at the State level. Even cosmetologists and barbers in my home state, North Carolina, are regulated and licensed.
But not consultants. Anyone can hang a shingle and go consult.
Do so, if you are so inclined. As you create your own path, you will discover the need to separate yourself/your practice from the other estimated 1,000,000 consultants in the U.S. First, likely you will develop your marketing pitch/collateral along the lines of your skill set, what you offer. IT, HR, Profit Improvement, Operations, etc., will be the first cut.
Then, as a way to further separate yourself, you will describe your experience to add a certain level of credentialing. Years of experience, references to past clients, testimonials, etc. will all be oriented to make you and your practice different and therefore preferred over other such consultants.
Consider, there is a third way to truly separate yourself from the masses and brand you as a professional. My colleagues and I see five parts:
Adhere to an Enforceable Code of Ethics;
Adhere to an international Consulting Competence Framework;
Adhere to a professional Code of Conduct;
Become a Certified Management Consultant®; and
Trained in ISO 20700.
I trust you notice in this list that none of this is about What you consult in (e.g., your skills and your experiences) but rather How you consult, the mechanics, if you will and the behaviors required. Being a professional management consultant is more than your skills and experiences, it is how you consult – your commitment to ethical behavior, your understanding of an international set of consulting competencies, your professional conduct, earning the gold-standard in consulting, your CMC®, and finally using the international tools of ISO developed specifically for management consultants.
I will be addressing each of these five in subsequent posts.
Stay tuned.
[Note: I have written about the more notable ethics problems in consulting here The HIgh Cost of Ethics Lapses in Consulting, Consulting Ethics Challenges, Consulting Ethics Concern, Once Again, and Lions, Tigers, Consultants, Oh My!]
