Consultants in the Hen House: Page 2

Consulting Knowledge and Skills

Knowledge of:

• The Business (the Business & the Business)
• Multiple Functional Areas

Skills to:

• Listen – & Translate
• Synthesize
• Communicate
• Negotiate
• Influence & Persuade
• Write
• Present …

I cannot stress enough the need for wide and deep knowledge of the business. Really good consultants understand business models and processes on all levels. They understand what keeps managers up at night and how to make managers heroes. They understand business pain and pleasure first and technology second – which is not to say that they do not understand technology widely or deeply but rather that their understanding of business models and processes drives how they leverage technology.

Why all this emphasis on internal consulting knowledge and skills? Because many technology professionals – as wonderful as they are – are unable to analyze, prioritize or communicate as well as they should with their business partners. Some organizations have responded to this challenge by creating “Business Relationship Managers” but these professionals tend to be more glib than professionally trained.

It’s time to invest in formal consulting skills training in your organization if you want to really leverage technology on to business. I predict that there will be a lot of professionals interested in formal internal consulting training – many more than you might think.