The Parable of the Affable Consultant: Is There A Better Way To Go About A Career In Consulting?
Business consultants, on the whole, have got a pretty bad reputation. Overpriced, arrogant and ill-informed, they're often seen as the villains of the business world, simply there to drain cash, insult the intelligence of your staff, and then tell you to rip up your entire operating model and start all over again from scratch. Like you haven't got enough problems already. The truth of the matter is a little more complex than this however. In this article, we will look to examine the world of consulting from a couple of different perspectives. Firstly, we'll explore a little of what it means to be a consultant and what exactly it is that they do. Then, we'll study a few of the reasons as to why it might be that this perception has developed over the years, before looking into some of the challenges and difficulties faced by consultants in their own world. We'll finish by discussing just a few of the ways in which I believe consultants might be better able to approach these challenges in more productive and positive ways than historically they might have, in order to start to tip the balance of perception back in their favour.
Please note that what follows is not intended as a complete guide. It contains some cherry picked concepts from my own experience that I have deemed to be the most important when considering how to start out on your own journey to becoming a better consultant. The days of the old-school consultant, with their cold, dismissive arrogance are over. This is the time for a new way of consulting - empathetic, considered and, ultimately, more impactful.
What even is a consultant anyway?
As a consultant myself, I have been subject to this question more times than I care to think about. Each time, I am struck again by the ambiguity of the term, the lack of structure that's found in our profession and the absence of knowledge that exists of it in everyday society. No one learns about the consulting profession at school. There are no children sitting in classrooms right now thinking to themselves "when I grow up, I want to be a consultant!" - the thought of them doing so is practically absurd. And yet, when we examine the types of "white collar" jobs that exist in today's society, the consulting profession is practically average. How can it be then that the "average person" remains so ignorant of the trade? Is it so difficult a concept that it exists beyond the reach of the bulk of people in our society? I certainly don't think so. But then again, I haven't yet tried to define it myself. So here goes.
"a consultant is someone, usually experienced in a particular profession or armed with substantial knowledge in certain subjects, whose job it is is to implement new systems, processes or tools for organisations, for the purposes of improving their operation in some way."
What is a consultant and what do they do, you ask? Well, a consultant is someone, usually experienced in a particular profession or armed with substantial knowledge in certain subjects, whose job it is to implement new systems, processes or tools for organisations, for the purposes of improving their operation in some way. What they do, at a very high level, is work with existing members of the organisation to discover, document and understand current operations, perform analysis on them and then use this analysis to create and propose solutions to existing issues and inefficiencies, before assisting the organisation with the development and implementation of those solutions. I think that pretty much covers it. OK it is quite a wordy definition, but I have no doubt that someone smarter than me could say the same thing with fewer words - and besides, that all fits comfortably enough into a single paragraph... Right?
You might not do all of that as a consultant - in fact, you can specialise in only particular aspects, such as analysis, proposals, or delivery. You also get support in a lot of these activities, from sales people, project managers and other "SME"s ("Subject Matter Experts" for the uninitiated). But generally, the scope of activity that you are expected to be involved in as a consultant is pretty wide, and you should be able to add value to all aspects of it. It's a very rewarding profession, if you grab hold of enough of the opportunities, because there is the potential to be exposed to pretty much anything that goes on in the worlds of business or government, throughout different industries and over all the wide variety of types of organisation that exist in this world. This is of course where we start to see some of the more oxymoronic aspects of the profession manifest...
What can a consultant really know?
As a consultant, it's within the very concept of your profession that you know what you're talking about. Consultants are hired to fix things that couldn't be fixed by the people already doing them. It should be inherent then that, in the hiring of the consultant, you have brought in somebody who knows better than people who already know an awful lot about what they do. After all, how else can a problem be effectively addressed? You're not going to go and spend an awful lot of money, usually paying by the hour at that, for some cowboy that's got no more of an idea of how to do what you want to be able to do than you already do because that would be a false economy. Right? Not necessarily...
"What people fail to realise is that being a good consultant is about far more than being massively experienced in a particular subject."
You see, the value of a consultant, I have often found, is assumed to be contained entirely within the sum total of their prior experiences - but the job requires so much more than that. What people fail to realise is that being a good consultant is about far more than being massively experienced in a particular subject. Sure, it helps - but what is often even more important is a fresh perspective, a curious mind, respect and empathy for people and a concentrated, streamlined approach to solving a problem. Nothing ground breaking - and I'm sure, pretty damn obvious to most. So why do I bother making the point? Well, when you consider what most workers that currently work for an organisation do, it's not this. They do the work that they need to do in order to run the business - business as usual (BAU) activities if you will. It is not often easy when functioning within these parameters to even notice what the parameters are, let alone recognise that there's a problem with them or be able start to figure out ways to rectify the problem, since the parameters frame the very way in which a person views the world. I believe the expression is "can't see the wood for the trees"...
What you get with a consultant is an individual whose sole focus is on enhancing operations - and in very specific ways. This goes a lot of the way to explaining why they are able to deliver value even when they don't necessarily understand all of the mechanics involved. Actually, knowing too much of the detail can often be a hindrance, as in doing so leads you into getting lost down vast, intricate rabbit holes, or causing the wheels to spin so quickly as to loose you any sort of traction. A consultant can be, therefore, more likely to spot the pivotal variables or the brightest guiding lights signalling wherein the solution lies, precisely because they are free of all the detail. After all, having your nose too close to the jigsaw pieces means you don't ever see the actual picture you're working with.
On a not entirely unrelated note, a consultant should also be able to view processes and systems far more holistically than those who operate them on a daily basis, by very nature of the process by which they begin to simplify them in order understand them. Having a broader awareness of the interconnecting and ever-moving parts brings clarity of thought to the solutioning (oh yeah, it's a word) process, since it's viewed as a whole rather than as separate entities. People who have access to such a view within most organisations are few and far between, due to the very nature of work that is completed there - as you go up the chain, the numbers start to dwindle pretty quickly. Those couple of executives in the know are hardly best placed for such work since their time is already in such short supply. Again, the consultant becomes the solution.
So why does everyone hate consultants?
Come on, we've all been there. Patronised by the pretender who waltzes into your office, tenuous credentials practically dripping in wet ink scrawled upon still warm paper, clutched in sweaty fists, BS pouring forth in great stodgy chunks, the stench of which hangs like acrid smoke in the air, choking the words from your throat, incredulity the very blood that now rages through your veins (OK maybe we haven't all been quite there) - because whatever it is you do, whatever profession you're in, it stings when someone who doesn't actually do what you do comes marching on in telling you that you're not actually very good at your job. And you know damn well they're probably being paid more than you. Of course, they won't actually say that (hopefully not to your face anyway...), but it'll be words to that effect. And really, they have to be, otherwise the consultant isn't actually doing their job. I mean let's be real for a minute - they're not going to show up in your office, turn around and go "oh, everything here is already perfect, you don't need me at all" and walk right on out again - or they'd quite literally be out of a job. Doesn't make it any easier to take though...
"Nobody likes to be told, however indirectly, that what they are doing, or that they themselves, is or are not good enough"
The problem here is not (necessarily!) the consultant - it's human nature. Nobody likes to be told, however indirectly, that what they are doing, or that they themselves, is or are not good enough. Note as well that it can be very easily exacerbated if the consultant does not remain painfully conscious of this fact and start practicing basic empathy in engagements with their clients. In fact, you'd be surprised at quite how many times during my own relatively short professional career that I've seen crimes of exactly this nature committed. Actually, maybe you wouldn't be...
It's not just that people don't like hearing, dare I say it, the truth (it's all fake news anyway). People tend to feel threatened by consultants who come around throwing shade at their hard fought careers; mistrust, jealousy even. Bringing about change, particularly change that directly impacts someone's day-to-day existence is about more than just switching up tools and processes - it's about fundamentally altering the way that that person is going to live their life going forwards. And this has very deep emotional and psychological consequences, no two ways about it.
Now let's throw into the mix that consultants are often expensive, they provide relatively intangible services that often lack the cold hard data for justifying decisions people are so often used to and that the day-to-day output of their work can be extremely hard to quantify or even identify - and the case for as to why it's so easy to hate consultants becomes ever clearer. Oh and I haven't even mentioned that they have the power to completely put you out of a job yet.
Why are you like this?
Let's flip the coin. You're a consultant. You have been tasked with delivering a new solution for a client whose been a powerhouse in their industry for the last 50 years, in a matter of months, with no prior industry or technical experience yourself, working with a team of 5 others whose experience you either don't know or doubt utterly. What do you do? How do you proceed? Where do you pull a solution from? Add to this that you're in a fight for survival with each and every one of your team mates, a single wrong move ready to be pounced upon and exploited, a suggestion of weakness the only thing needed to discredit your position and have it seized by a colleague, and suddenly the behaviours that we often associate with the consulting industry begin to grow legitimate foundations.
To be clear, this is very much an exaggeration of the truth - but sometimes, I see the way people behave and I start to believe it to be true. After all, to get ahead in consulting you've got to outmaneuver people who outmaneuver other people for a living. Of course, it all depends a lot on the culture of the firm you're at - but nonetheless, it's never an easy task and always involves some, what I will politely term "gamesmanship", and no small amount of stretching the truth.
"There is a particular form of anxiety that is generated from constantly working with nothingness"
One of the greatest struggles that I have personally found as a consultant emerges from working so often at trying to create something from nothing. There is a particular form of anxiety that is generated from constantly working with nothingness - since you're never quite sure what it is that you're going to end up making and whether or not it's actually going to be any good. Take this article for example. It didn't even exist as an idea in my head until a few short weeks ago, and even then it was really just a (rough) title and a feeling. Now it's words on a screen. Is it any good? Is it what was needed? Is it serving the purpose that was intended for it? Do any of us know what that purpose was? It can be very disconcerting when you think too deeply about that which you are creating, particularly if the measurements of it meeting it's own success criteria are particularly tricky or indeed impossible to make. Sure, if you're lucky you can go off the reaction of the people in the room, or the number of likes and comments you get - but you can never really know for sure.
This is why I believe consultants sometimes have a tendency to big themselves up just a teensy bit more than perhaps they should. Without really ever experiencing proper closure or being confident in whether or not you're actually feeling that satisfaction that comes from a job well done (since you also just defined for yourself that it was...) will tend to lead you to start manufacturing it - you know, just to be on the safe side:
"I don't feel like much happened here, I'm struggling to point to exactly what was produced but nothing broke, nobody seems to be complaining and everything is fine - so I must have done a good job. I'm great. Maybe I'm the best, who's to say?!".
Then, you find out that you can do what other people do by virtue of the fact that you could point out how to do it better than them and you end up getting... cocky. Of course you do - again, it's human nature. The problem is of course, you really have no idea if you could do what they do, because you never actually do it. You certainly never do it every day, dealing with the same levels of intricacy, details and politics that they do. You still don't really know anything about it.
The final aspect of working as a consultant that I'll address here (before you all put me in the stocks for labouring the point too much on their behalf) is related to how you are perceived by clients. We've talked to the emotional response, but we haven't talked to the level of expectation that comes with it. Part of the assumption is that, when you hire a consultant, you've actually hired them - to come and work for you that is. Not contractually of course, but metaphorically. Clients expect you to do whatever they ask. You are, however, bound to a contract - and the worst part is that the contract in question was almost certainly written by a crazy person. OK, that's a bit harsh(!) - but you probably didn't write it and so trust me, it's going to feel like it was, because you now have to deliver against something that you neither understand nor agree with. Talk about having your hands tied. From day one you're fighting an uphill battle with a client who was sold on a shiny BMW only for you to show up and tell him he's actually just bought a Fiat Punto. He's just not going to want to be your friend.
So what should I do?
When your job is fundamentally about helping people, as a consultant's really is, it helps to really put them first in what you're doing. We've already established that you're likely going to arrive into any situation on the back-foot - so why not go on the attack with a bit of a charm offensive. Don't fake it though, as this really only ever makes it worse. Make sure to take the time to really introduce yourself to a client, make a concentrated effort to try and get to know them a bit. Ask them about their live's, what they like to do in their spare time. Establish some mutual interests. Prove to them that you're not some bloodsucking leech come to drain them dry and kick them out of a job, but a human being who cares about how they come across and is prepared to invest personally in other people.
"it's your job to care as much as it is your job to help"
Listen to your client's problems. Give them the time of day. Use what they say to build context for how to approach the particular problems before you and inform how you're going to deliver their solution. Yeah, they might not say an awful lot that you find helpful, relevant or even particularly interesting - but it's your job to care as much as it is your job to help them. You might even learn something new that you didn't expect, or build a relationship and gain an alley that you didn't see coming that will prove definitive in the ultimate success of your future endeavours with them. Be open-minded, understanding and positive, and who knows what you might learn.
Next, be as up-front and honest as you can be. Set clear expectations on day one - both to cover your ass and to make sure everyone is on the same page about how things are going to proceed. You want to get any dirty laundry out to air right at the start so that it can be dealt with preemptively. Nobody likes surprises when it comes to consulting. Demonstrate value as often as you can. Even in situations where the decision is out of your hands, be proactive in making suggestions and laying out what you would recommend be considered. Make sure to include pros and cons for all of your options and try to keep the transparency levels high. Give your clients as much output as you can to remind them of why they're paying you all that money.
"Try to lead your client gradually along the path to realisation so that they can join you in appreciating the magnificence of your solution"
Take the client on the journey with you. You might have done all this stuff before. Of course, you might not have, but then you've probably spent an awful lot of time dedicated to thinking about it and working on your solution in isolation, away from the client - who probably has a day job and so doesn't have the same luxury as you. This will mean that you've reached conclusions that seem obvious, but to everyone else are not. So slow it down. Try to lead your client gradually along the path to realisation so that they can join you in appreciating the magnificence of your solution - or so they can properly tell you why it actually sucks. If you can, try to set things up so that they are able to make some of the conclusions along the way for themselves - those familiar with the film "Inception" will understand why this is such a powerful tool in getting people on board with an idea.
"Always look to draw out the value in what you do and work to deliver against this"
Another important quality to demonstrate is flexibility. Sure, you've got pressures on you as a consultant, not least that you're fundamentally beholden to a business model that thrives upon exploitation. But you don't have to be slave to it. Always look to draw out the value in what you do and work to deliver against this. Be flexible in what you're prepared to provide and give a little here in order to make sure you can hold firm there. You are best placed to understand what makes sense for your client so put them first and figure out a way to make it work for all parties involved. You owe it to them and you owe it to yourself to try.
Share your learning. This is a big one for me. There is a tendency in consulting to try to hoard knowledge, possibly due to the belief that knowledge is power - and if you're the only one to have it, you have all the power. Whilst there might be some truth to this, it's very short-term thinking. If you were to share the knowledge instead and invest in someone else, the likelihood is that you'll grow as well, by learning something from them and everyone else you choose to invest in. In this situation, everyone grows and develops from what you knew into something even greater - and whilst it might mean that you don't have a monopoly over this one thing any more, it means that you can branch out into other things. And who really wants to be stuck doing the same thing for their entire career anyway? Particularly in this modern world, with the pace of change as it is, you'll probably learn pretty quick that sitting still is not a good idea any more.
In Summary
There is always another way. If ever there was a phrase that I have aspired to live my life by it would be this. Habitually, a lot of us tend to see the world in black and white, with a limited number of concrete options available to us at any given point - we simply need to pick one of them. What I have learned throughout my career though is that these are never the only options - there are always other ways of doing things. Most management books will tell you to do things a certain way. Do this, don't do that. In this situation, you should do this, but definitely do not do that. They'll have you believe that there is a right way to do things. There is not. Having said all of this, I'm afraid I've just done exactly that - gone and told you to do things in a certain way.
This is only because I can only really tell you what works for me. Please remember though, that what works for me may not work for you - and that's OK. I have found that what works for me is a little bit different from some of the classical consulting teachings and so this is why I wanted to tell you about it. I also believe that some of the ways I have found to do things can go a long way towards changing some of the fundamental behaviours - and subsequently, perceptions - of consultants in the business world; a perception, I will now stress, that is thoroughly undeserved.
But let me be clear on this: you must also find a way of doing things that is true to you as an individual. That is ultimately what matters. Only you can do you and you're always going to be the best at being you. Instead of being a consultant when you show up to work, try being a person first. And if you work with consultants - maybe try going a bit easier on them. Not all of us might be so bad after all...!
Does any of this ring true for you? How do you think consultants can best help to shift the overriding perceptions of them? What do you look for in a good consultant? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! And as always, thanks for reading.
Catch you next time. MSR.