A career in business consulting can be an exciting one. Being a consultant probably means you’d be along on many brand new projects throughout the year! However, with this excitement comes it’s own share of challenges, such as…

Be Adaptable

Priorities can change in a heart beat. In today’s day and age, every consultant knows being adaptable is crucial. It can also mean changing skill sets on the fly for that matter. “As a business consultant, you will invariably be hired for the solution of one problem, only to find yourself in the middle of something completely different,” Tony Iavarone Hamilton says. PROGMEM. In this new far from stable economy being adaptable is one of the sure fire ways to survive as a consultant. This is single-handedly the one quality your clients will respect the most.

Leave Ego at the Door

As a consultant, your job is to solve your client’s business problems. There may be times when you’re met with backlash for rocking the boat. When rocking the boat does come, it’s important to keep the end goal in mind. You should be good at separating head from heart. In other words, don’t let your self-consciousness or ego cloud your judgment in a way that prevents you from doing your job.

Know How to Listen

Business consultants often have to take in a huge amount of information. Being a good listener allows you to take in a lot of information at a rapid rate. While it sounds simple, listening is hard work. You need to train yourself to concentrate completely on what’s being said, rather than just passively “hearing” the information.

Build Trust 

When you come as an outsider, the first thing to do is to build trust. This means that you stick to timelines. Also, being straightforward can help you build trust and good working relationships. As per Tony Iavarone in Hamilton, building trust is key to having good working relationships. And it should be your priority if you want to have a long and successful career. Therefore, people who are sociable have an advantage here.