What do you do if your problem-solving skills as a management consultant need enhancement through feedback?

As a management consultant, when I sense the need to sharpen my problem-solving skills, I seek out constructive feedback. I approach mentors and peers, presenting them with my case studies and strategies. I listen intently to their insights and experiences, absorbing every critique and suggestion. With each piece of advice, I refine my approach, ensuring that my solutions become more innovative and effective, like a sculptor perfecting a masterpiece

Feedback is the compass that guides your journey to becoming a better problem solver in management consulting. Regular feedback helps you uncover blind spots in your problem-solving approach, enabling you to address them effectively. By seeking feedback regularly, you can continuously refine your problem-solving skills, making you more effective as a management consultant. Embrace feedback as a growth tool, and watch your problem-solving skills as a management consultant reach new heights.

Exploring avenues for refining problem-solving skills is a cornerstone of continuous professional development, particularly in roles like ours where strategic insight is paramount. Seeking constructive feedback from colleagues, mentors, and clients can offer invaluable perspectives, enabling us to identify blind spots, refine methodologies, and ultimately deliver more impactful solutions. Embracing feedback as a catalyst for growth underscores our commitment to excellence and ensures our ability to navigate the complexities of modern business with agility and efficacy.

At the end of every activity there should be feedback. The Internal Review: How well did we achieve what we said we would before we started? Simplistically: What did you like about what I did, how the session went; then What concerns? I issue a sheet of A4 paper with title-date on the top, a line drawn down the centre with "Likes" on the left hand side and "Concerns" on the right. I ask the participant/s to complete the RHS first & then the LHS. I ask them to sign it so that I can put any concerns right that need to be discussed with them as an individual. I also indicate that if a person is not prepared to sign to their opinions then they are likely to be disregarded, which is no help to anyone.

As an independent consultant myself, feedback is not only what helps us deliver a better service but ultimately, it's what has helped us build new services and products- all from feedback and also being open to what the client needs. If you are someone that is looking to integrate feedback as part of their business practice, I recommend that rather than spending so much time defining a product and service, that you are open to what your client needs, always leading a meeting or conversation with curiosity and inquiry. What I also recommend, is that you integrate feedback into your processes. For example, I have a software that sends a feedback questionnaire right after we completed the service, so that we don't forget to send it out.

Here are three ways that I've structured my feedback: 1. Before we deliver the service, we schedule a meeting with our client to go over the presentation or overall plan, to see if they have any feedback and so that they are clear on the scope of work. 2. Our company created a backend software that automatically sends feedback surveys to our customers right after we deliver the service. 3. Most importantly, we always schedule a meeting right for a week after our service is delivered to talk about how it went, expectations vs results etc. And if you want to go the extra mile, schedule out another meeting 2 months after you delivered the service to see how your service has been fully integrated.

Without structuring the feedback collected from the clients, it will just be a data point residing in your computers without it being leveraged to create a meaningful impact. Apart from organizing the feedback project-wise and client-wise, structure it into different buckets like: - Positive feedback, satisfactory feedback, and feedback that has scope for improvement. - Feedback for self-improvement, feedback for team improvement. - Immediate action and long-term action. - Feedback for human upskilling, feedback for process improvement, feedback for better delivery, and feedback for technical degradation. This will help you dig into the relevant buckets depending upon which area you're addressing first.

Once you have categorized the feedback, now start identifying how to address each line item to create a better client experience. Specifically with respect to feedback for human upskilling - identify which are the areas where your team may need further training or handholding so that the client sees a value addition. With respect to areas for your own upskilling, identify if you need to undertake a course (if the feedback indicates significant or in-depth upskilling) or short-term solutions like undergoing training or attending workshops (if the feedback indicates a requirement of little or minor upskilling). You may also consider looking for a mentor who can give long-term guidance in improving the areas where you need to do better.

Tracking progress and celebrating milestones create a sense of achievement and aids motivation. While identifying how to address each line item to create a better client experience, try to put timelines and tangible KPIs to track your own progress. It will also help you assess how much ground has been covered since you started working on the upskilling and much progress is yet to be made. If you think that the client feedback has made significant progress, it would be worthwhile to inform the clients of the added or upskilled capacity and enhance your service offering. It could also serve as a valid client retention and satisfaction tool.

If your problem solving skills need enhancement through feedback, then understand the gap areas and where you can improve. Apply frameworks by consulting others or through your own research. Network heavily, learn from others and continuously implement learnings

Self-Assessment: Reflect on your own problem-solving experiences and outcomes. Evaluate your approach, decision-making process, and the effectiveness of solutions implemented. Identify patterns or recurring challenges that may indicate areas where improvement is needed. Training and Development: Invest in training programs, workshops, or courses focused on problem-solving skills development. Look for opportunities to learn new problem-solving methodologies, analytical techniques, and decision-making frameworks. Continuous learning can enhance your problem-solving toolkit and broaden your problem-solving capabilities.

Practice and Application: Apply problem-solving techniques in real-world scenarios or simulated exercises. Seek out challenging projects or assignments that allow you to practice problem-solving skills in different contexts. The more you apply problem-solving methodologies, the more proficient you'll become over time. Feedback Implementation: Actively incorporate feedback into your problem-solving approach. Set specific goals based on the feedback received and track your progress over time. Regularly revisit your development plan and adjust strategies as needed to address areas requiring improvement.

Continuous Improvement Mindset: Cultivate a mindset of continuous improvement. Embrace feedback as an opportunity for growth rather than criticism. Stay open-minded, adaptable, and resilient in the face of challenges. Celebrate successes and milestones along the way to maintain motivation and momentum.