Having just returned from
another training in London, I thought it a
good idea to answer one of the questions that I was asked by
enough
people to make it worthwhile to write about here.
The question I've been asked is, "What makes a successful
consultant?"
Well, I've taken this question and expanded it sideways to
include
"trainer, teacher, manager, etc." and expanded it upwards to
include
"entrepreneur, etc." because to me, whatever it is you're
doing
professionally, it helps to put yourself in the position, or
role, of
"consultant" at certain times, places and other contexts.
Based on my experience with many different people across
many different
professions, the ones that are the most successful have or
do the
following things:
-
They are driven - not just ambitious - driven by their
passions, their
abilities, their purpose. They know themselves so well
that they do not
need to explain themselves to others. Their behavior
"says" it all.
-
They are infectious - their above permeates a room,
permeates all they
meet, their environment. Some will call this charisma,
others energy.
Whatever you call it, know what it is because you have
not only
experienced it, but have it.
-
They are passionate about whatever it is they do, truly
passionate. Even
when they have the opportunity to "sell" something, they
don't have to
because their passion spills over onto the people
listening and/or in
their presence. And most people want to have success.
-
They know the following that I have been saying for
years and years -
"No one is good at everything, but everyone is good at
something". They
know what they are good at, and they have built on that.
They know what
they are not good at and pass it up, or pass it along to
someone else,
when those opportunities come by. They know their niche
and have
developed their own "expertise" of it.
-
They are not afraid of hard work - as a matter of fact,
it's not they
are not afraid of it, they don't equate it with their
passion - to them
it's not work, it's their life; it's what they love
doing. For years
I've told people: "Do what you love and you'll never
work another day in
your life." And at the same time, working 24/7 is part
of it for them.
This does not mean that they don't make time away from
their "career",
but there is always that one small wheel clicking away
in the back of
their mind that keeps them on track.
|
- They know that making mistakes is part of making
decisions. They don't
expect perfection, but they do expect optimization. At
the same time,
they also have high expectations for themselves, and for
others, but
they understand how to balance all these towards
success.
-
They know how to say "I don't know" with confidence.
-
They are continuously learning - not just from seminars,
books, tapes,
etc., but from the experiences they are having. They are
acute observers
of their environment and can calibrate interventions
well and the
results of those interventions, whether theirs or
someone else's,
regardless of how subtle.
-
They have solid morals and values and their behavior is
consistent. They
do not waiver. They may change their minds, but only
after very careful
consideration of new information.
-
They keep things simple - their communication, their
strategies,
everything possible is kept simple, but not at the
expense of wasting
resources, more appropriately, they keep things precise.
-
They are honest and they understand dishonesty and are
prepared for it.
They have a healthy skepticism of the business
environment in which they
are operating and have the strategies to evaluate
opportunities.
How many of the above do you honestly have and/or do? Happy
Consulting,
or whatever it is you do.
©2010 La Valle, all rights reserved in all media
The article is published with approval by John La Valle.
|
