#29: 10 habits of top consultants

As we draw towards the end of this series of articles, it would be good to do a small aspirational piece. Over the past few weeks we have looked at networking, coherence of image, and what attributes make a good salesperson. With that in mind I have highlighted 10 habits of successful consultants – always good to have something to aim at!

1. They ensure the quality of their work. It’s really easy to let standards slip as you get busy, but good consultants are obsessive about maintaining standards, so that their technical excellence is taken as a given.
2. They have a sixth sense that tells them when there is a vacuum which may prevent successful completion of a project, and they will assume ownership and provide leadership if that is what they consider necessary to keep things on track.
3. They are very delivery oriented, so they will be focussed on outcomes, and be driven to ensure that the project completes on time and to specification.
4. From an emotional intelligence standpoint, they have a high degree of self-awareness, which they constantly develop and employ in their communication and relationship building with others.
5. They use their self-awareness to learn how to adapt their behaviour in order to better match the behaviour preferences of people they are required to work with.
6. They tend to be punctual.
7. They prepare thoroughly for all meetings and events.
8. They work hard on their listening skills.
9. They anticipate potential alternative outcomes and developments, so that they can react accordingly, and are better equipped to cope with the unexpected and take challenges in their stride.
10. They tend to have a “Plan B” up their sleeve for use in case of need.

How do you stack up against this list? I recommend that you reflect on it, and then plan out some personal development time if need be.

Next time we will look at the opposite of today’s topic – 10 disastrous strategies which you should avoid at all costs! Until then, go through the list above and see how you do, and don’t hesitate to contact me any time if you feel there are areas you need to work on and would like more guidance.