Key Consulting Skills for Success: Your 2024 Guide

Consulting services have expanded rapidly, reaching a market share of more than $1 trillion in 2022 [1]. If you enjoy building solid interpersonal connections and sharing your expertise, this could be a suitable career path to explore. 

In addition to having expertise in their industry or field, consultants have specific skills that help them integrate into existing teams, build trust, and gather the information they need to analyze systems and make recommendations to stakeholders.  If your career goals include working as a consultant, developing these 12 consulting skills can help you in your journey.  

Read more: What Does a Consultant Do?

What is a consultant?

A consultant shares their industry knowledge or expertise with businesses and organizations that hire them, typically as contracted workers rather than employees. The work they do varies, depending on what the client needs, and they consult on various aspects of the organization, such as:

• Management

• Finance

• Human resources

• Process improvement

• Information technology (IT)

Consultants usually have specific industry knowledge and experience and are experts in the area they consult on. You’ll find consultants in many industries, including health care, education, technology, business, and politics.

12 valuable consulting skills to master

As a consultant, you spend time gathering and analyzing data to make recommendations to organizational leaders. For this reason, consultants rely on several human skills in their work. Adding to your repertoire through consulting skills training is likely helpful, no matter your role.  

1. Communication and listening

As a consultant, you go into an organization to make effective changes. Doing so requires communicating these changes with the workforce and engaging them in the process. Listening to employer and employee concerns as part of problem-solving is essential, as it helps you understand the organization’s needs so you can make recommendations they are willing to implement. At the same time, you have to be able to explain your observations and recommendations to them in a way that makes sense to everyone. Empathy and understanding are critical.

Read more: What Is Effective Communication? Skills for Work, School, and Life

2. Problem-solving

In your role as a consultant, you will actively help a company overcome obstacles and challenges. How you solve the organization's problems depends on what it needs at the time. In some places, you may implement new technologies or revise company policies and processes to help them meet their efficiency goals. Other groups may ask for your help resolving conflicts between team members, developing a business plan, or improving staff morale. In all these scenarios, your job is to assess the causes of the problem and offer solutions to resolve it to accomplish a desired outcome. 

3. Leadership

You’ll rely on leadership skills as you go into an organization to bring about change and manage processes. To be a good leader, you'll need to build relationships and trust. You’ll show people that you are genuinely interested in solving problems, implement changes in their best interests, and make their lives easier at work. Ultimately, a good leader motivates and encourages rather than dictates. 

4. Change management

As an agent of change, you need the ability to guide people through the change process. It starts by helping stakeholders develop a clearly defined vision and plan to implement the new processes or systems. You may help them motivate and encourage their team members and create systems to keep the momentum moving even after you have finished your contract.  This process can help ensure that change happens and fully integrates into company culture. A solution not backed by staff is usually unsuccessful, and part of your job is to show people how to generate buy-in. 

Read more: What Is Change Management? + How to Use It Effectively

5. Flexibility

Consultants may be goal-oriented and flexible because every job is different. You may think you know the solution to a client’s problem; however, you may also quickly find that your approach needs to change to fit the existing infrastructure or work culture. Sometimes, your plan uncovers a new problem that you have to address. Timelines shift. Priorities can change. Ultimately, it’s up to you to adapt as needed.

6. Creative thinking

Successful problem solvers think outside the box, and being creative in your approach is an integral part of your work as a consultant. Creative thinking means examining all aspects of the problem, considering different perspectives, and looking beyond the obvious solutions to find what works. In doing so, you can offer your clients options and get results. 

7. Project management

A consultant’s work can overlap with the responsibilities of a project manager—you'll just be there with the business during your contracted time. Knowledge of project management principles like motivation, team management, and time management can help you organize your work with your clients so you meet deadlines for deliverables. You also may use project management skills to manage multiple projects you have going on if you work with more than one client at a time.

8. Collaboration

Going into an organization as an outsider requires you to build trust and rapport with an existing team that can include everyone from board members to employees working on the floor. For changes to be effective, it’s essential to take a “do with” approach instead of a “do to” outlook. Ultimately, you're all working toward the common goal of improving the organization. Your ability to collaborate with people at all levels can go a long way toward increasing the staff's enthusiasm for your plan and willingness to embrace change for the long term. 

9. Client-first mentality

Being client-focused means putting the client's needs first. Your purpose is to create a solution to an issue they are facing. That’s why it’s essential to listen to their needs, know how their organization works, and what is important to them. This means you can bring your unique perspective to complement the client’s way of doing things and create mutual benefit. After all, the company hired you to enhance their processes with your expertise.

10. Analytical and critical thinking

As a consultant, your first step is to analyze a business and review what is and is not working. When examining the data, you apply analytical and critical thinking to look for connections, assess trends, and question the findings. This process allows you to offer a fresh perspective for understanding what's happening within the organization and offering solutions, ideas, and strategies that effectively solve the organization's problems. 

11. Workplace skills

Understanding and influencing people is at the heart of your work as a consultant. You're entering a business or organization and integrating with its teams, which requires interacting with the people working there. You will talk to them and ask questions about their roles to understand their perspectives and challenges. As you do this, you also need to be aware of their emotions and can control your own responses as you interact with them. 

Read more: What Are Job Skills and Why Do They Matter?

12. Expertise

Having expertise in your field can make or break your success as a consultant. Your clients hire you because they want to learn from your knowledge and experience, which likely is not currently available within the organization. Demonstrable experience through proven work history, evidence of successful projects, and recommendations from former clients builds your clients' trust and boosts your confidence. People commonly become consultants after working in a particular field or industry for an extended period, making you highly valuable. 

How to develop your consulting skills

To develop your consulting skills, you can take courses, partner with a mentor, and look for opportunities to practice what you learn. The good news is that you can take these steps before you start working as a consultant, and you may find them helpful in your current line of work—even if you never pursue a consultant role.  Start by taking a consulting skills training course to learn the basics, or use your network to find someone already working as a consultant willing to teach you what they know or give you tips about where to begin. 

Next steps 

If you’re considering becoming a consultant, start by developing essential consulting skills like communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. Continue learning and building your skills with courses like Connected Leadership from Yale, which can help you enhance your leadership skills. Or challenge your creative thinking abilities through Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success, delivered by the University of London. You'll find both of these courses listed on Coursera. 

Another option is the Management Consulting Specialization from Emory University. Through this consulting skills training, you can complete a hands-on project to practice your consultant skills and earn a certificate to show your knowledge.