36.1 Personal characteristics of consultants

To become a career consultant is to make a major life decision. Individuals considering the career and consulting firms should therefore think very carefully about the characteristics that make someone a suitable candidate.

Management consultants have discussed these characteristics many times and useful advice can be found in several publications.1 As for any profession, there is no one perfect model against which every entrant can be measured, but there are certain characteristics that affect the consultant’s chance of success and personal job satisfaction. These characteristics differentiate the consulting profession from other occupations that also require a high level of technical knowledge and skill, but that have other objectives and use different methods (e.g. research, teaching, or management jobs with direct decision-making authority and responsibility). In management consulting, particular importance is attached to analytical and problem-solving abilities, as well as to competence in the behavioural area, in communicating and working with people, and in helping others to understand the need for change and how to implement it.

What kind of person is able to perform appropriately the multiple roles required of a management consultant? The qualities a consultant needs fall into two broad categories: intellectual abilities and personal attributes.

“Dilemma analysis” ability

Intellectually, the consultant needs to be able to make a “dilemma analysis”, because an organization that uses a consultant may well be facing a situation