Becoming a Leader In Consulting

Honing my brand (famous factor)

People Want to Know "What's my story?"

When I meet someone new, how often have I heard , "Hi. Nice to meet you. What do you do?" Why is this question difficult to answer? For some reason, it is difficult to construct a clever response to that question.

Here is a slightly different scenario. I meet a new staff member that recently joined the consultancy. What would he/she be interested in knowing when meeting me for the first time?

• What is my background?
• What interests me?
• How am I relevent to this person?

Everything has been packaged into sound-bytes, and nothing less is expected in the all-important introduction. Here are my ideas for what the new staff member might be interested in hearing.

Topic	How to answer
What is my background?	What was my journey that led me into consulting?
What interests me?	Area(s) of expertise, pet projects
How am I relevent to this person?	Industry, project experience(s), and role(s) served on those projects.

Building Subject Matter Expertise

The personal brand or famous-factor for consultants is often carved around expertise. How does one build that expertise? Here are a few suggestions:

• Industry Certifications
• Tools used on my project (e.g. methodologies, technical tools)
• Best Practices Research, Documentation
• White Papers (e.g. new research, case studies, new applications of a concept or technology)
• Prototypes (e.g. building solutions to solve a new problem)

As I completed my first consulting project, it became easier to describe my practical experience in terms of 'subject matter expertise.'

People discern patters about others more easily that I can for myself. To illustrate, once I worked more than two projects within an industry, people saw that it became my expertise. Although I was not the first to recognize it, I gained a unique perspective by working on three projects in the same industry. For example, I might observe similar organizational communication challenges based upon my experience of these three projects. This could then be my opinion (also described as as 'insight').

Examples of Natural Talents Bubble Up to Business Functions

Even though it is difficult to pinpoint my "passion" in work, there are aspects which I find more appealing than others. In my years of consulting, I have encountered people where I thought "Yes (insert name here) really has natural talent for project delivery. I can rattle off three reasons why I think that is the case." What I have listed below are six talents where I have seen my colleagues excel.

Project Execution

• Project Delivery: development and implementation services
• Account Management: project administration, client management

Account work and project implementation focuses on delivery. While the concepts may start to fade, but the challenges, the surprises, and the customer expectations make every project unique. These are people who understand the details on the outside (dealing with the customer) and on the inside (administration). They push the extra mile to get things done.

Research, Sales, and Marketing

• Business Development/ Sales: proposals, marketing
• Research: building prototypes, methodologies, new solutions

There is a creative genius that is required to envision a brand new way of getting things done. What are critical issues that the market faces? What innovative ideas meet those challenges?

Resource and Organizational Development

• Organization Structure/Organization-wide Communication: Internal structures and strategic communication across the organization
• Staff Development: recruitment, personnel performance, counseling, "people" programs

The talent to implement key communication strategies and effective human resource programs requires a command of the 'big picture.' What are the key functions within an organization and what staffing model supports those key functions?