The 7 Habits of Awesome Consultants

In my previous post, I wrote about the 7 Habits of Awesome Clients. 

All relationships are give and take. Therefore, a good client is only as good as the consultant. 

Here are the 7 Habits of Awesome Consultants:

1. Understand Client Needs - All awesome consultants focus on client needs and existing problems instead of trying to sell 'readymade' solutions. They use emotional intelligence to empathise with clients and understand things from the client's perspective to ask the right questions. They are customer-focussed, speak the client's language and capture both explicit and implicit needs.

2. Demonstrate Competence - All awesome consultants are trained for and competent at their job and use their expertise to meet client needs. They are lifelong learners and build varied experience with each engagement. They demonstrate their competence by educating their clients and providing unique insights to enable clients to make more informed decisions. 

3. Communicate Effectively - All awesome consultants communicate with clients and keep the process transparent. They are good listeners and inform and collaborate to get to the desired end result. They are able to explain complex ideas in simple terms. They are not afraid to say 'no' and are able to communicate bad news. They are honest and objective and act as a 'trusted advisor' for their clients.

4. Add Value and Build Trust - All awesome consultants are confident about what they bring to the table and show how they add value to the work. They meet and exceed expectations and are motivated to ensure that their clients succeed. They demonstrate integrity and professionalism and gain the trust of clients. They are passionate about sharing their knowledge and go beyond the scope of work for the current project.

5. Are Proactive and Innovative - All awesome consultants are proactive and anticipate possible problems. They are resourceful and are able to solve challenges. In doing so, they are innovative and are open to ideas and new ways of doing things. They listen to their clients attentively and are willing to take risks, be convinced by good reasoning and want to innovate.

6. Committed to Quality - All awesome consultants are quality conscious and show their commitment to quality by investing the right time and skills required to meet the desired goals including timelines and key deliverables. They use effective and efficient systems and processes and have rigorous quality assurance systems to always deliver the best to their clients.

7. Build Relationships - All awesome consultants value their clients and the work they do. They speak well for their clients and look to build long-term relationships. They have a positive attitude about the relationship and stay engaged and connected with their clients long after the project has been completed.

“My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions.” - Peter Drucker

The 7 Habits of Awesome Clients

Like everything else in this world, all clients are not created equal. There are some not-so-good clients, some great clients and some awesome clients. So, what makes an awesome client? 

Here is my version of "The 7 Habits of Awesome Clients":

1. Share Vision - All awesome clients have a clear vision of what they want done and they share it with all stakeholders. This vision is supported by specific goals, budget, timelines and scope of work.

2. Enable Communication - All awesome clients enable two-way communication. They seek regular updates about the work and  offer a single point of contact who is responsive and provides inputs and feedback on time, every time. 

3. Respect Expertise - All awesome clients understand the process and seek a view of how things are progressing. They are collaborative and respect the expertise of the partner to make the right choices along the way.

4. Trust Advice - All awesome clients look for a partner who they can trust to get the work done. Awesome clients seek advice, pay well for the right expertise and think of the partner as a trusted advisor.

5. Are Innovative - All awesome clients are open to ideas and new ways of doing things. They listen to partners attentively and are willing to take risks, be convinced by good reasoning and want to innovate.

6. Committed to Quality - All awesome clients know that cheap doesn't get quality. They are quality conscious and show their commitment to quality through appropriate budgets, timelines and processes.

7. Build Relationships - All awesome clients value their partners and the work they do. They speak well for their partners and look to build long-term relationships. 

Working in Groups

I regularly participate in #lrnchat. 

From their website: "#lrnchat is an online chat over the social messaging service Twitter. #lrnchat is on Thursdays at 8:30-9:30pm ET/5:30-6:30pm PT. Participants are people interested in the topic of learning from one another and who want to discuss how to help other people learn in formal, informal, social and mobile ways. The official Twitter account is @lrnchat"

For the week of February 20, the topic for #lrnchat was "Working in Groups".

Here are some of the questions that we discussed as a group and my responses to each question. 

@lrnchat: Q1) In groups you participate in, what makes them work better? #lrnchat

• A1) Trust, collaboration, clear goals and willingness to convince or be convinced #lrnchat
• A1) I work best within groups that work towards a common goal and leave their roles and egos outside the room! #lrnchat

@lrnchat Q2) What leads to better group performance? #lrnchat

• A2) Goals, specific timelines, planning key deliverables and establishing communication protocols = better performance #lrnchat
• A2) Taking calculated risks, allowing everyone to ‘shine’ and investing in that moment/effort completely = better performance
• A2) Recognizing and appreciating diversity and finding a way to make different skills and talent count = better group performance 
• A2) Lack of clear communication is perhaps the weakest link in a group performance. Not a weak person but a weak process. #lrnchat

@lrnchat: Q3) What impedes group problem-solving? #lrnchat

• A3) When groups start to solve ‘people’ rather than ‘problems’!  #lrnchat
• A3) “Solutions” impede problem solving. The group should not arrive with solutions instead they must generate them together. #lrnchat

@lrnchat: Q4) How does emotional intelligence help working in groups? #lrnchat

• A4) Emotional intelligence can help in better communication and in understanding the fine print :)  #lrnchat
• A4) Emotional intelligence can also help the group moderator add some organized chaos to the discussion. #sayyestothemess #lrnchat

@lrnchat: Q5) What other practices foster group problem-solving? #lrnchat

• A5) Time, attention, abilities, processes, spaces, roles and responsibilities and communication foster group problem solving #lrnchat
• A5) Trust, fun, appreciation, recognition and implementation of the solutions fosters continued positive performance #lrnchat
• A5) Leaving the problems and discussions in the room and not bringing it back to work or home fosters group problem solving #lrnchat

@lrnchat: Q6) How can better group problem-solving be facilitated? #lrnchat

• A6) Facilitator must stay neutral and objective and have a structured process to help group arrive at solutions #lrnchat
• A6) Read this somewhere: Facilitators must be in control, but not controlling #lrnchat

If you like the questions and my responses, you can check out the transcript for the complete chat. There were some fantastic insights shared by the group. You are welcome to join us next time! There's lots to learn and share.