What does success look like?
During a consulting interview, a candidate once asked me, “What are you looking for in a candidate?”
No surprise, I answered “It Depends.“
As I described in a previous post called Finders, Minders, and Grinders, there are several different roles on a typical consulting project. Each person has their role, and if done correctly, it is a beautiful thing to see. Not only is the team performing well, but people are learning, growing, and having fun.
Everyone has their role, but they are doing such a good job of it, that they are making their boss’ job easier. It is a lean team. No one is sitting around unproductive, and the conversion rate from input to output is high. Things are getting done, the team is getting to bed at a reasonable hour. No one is working on the weekend. The client is happy and there is a good chance for “add-on” work.
Huge difference between good and great
There is also a big difference between good and great. In consulting world, there is no average because average means fired. Good = easy to work with, someone who is a reliable asset to the team. Great is a leader = someone you want to stay in touch long term because that person will be hugely successful in life.
Good Grinder (Analyst, consultant, senior consultant)
- Listens well and requires limited direction; hears it once, and does it
- Data cleaning is thorough and excel calculations are accurate
- Research is summarized and grouped into topics (not stream of consciousness)
- Email communications are organized, written well, and easy to understand
- Personally reliable, writes up meeting minutes, submits expense reports on time
- Demonstrates maturity and can “hang out” with people 10+ years older, more experienced
Great Grinder, everything listed above +
- Strong client presence, ability to answer client’s questions authoritatively
- Helps others grinders; is the leader or their group
- Fast and efficient. MS Excel and MS PowerPoint gets done in 1/2 the time
- Diligent. Goes the extra mile, impresses without being a sycophant
- So coach-able that people want to be their mentor
- Reverse mentors older team-mates on technology, apps, and other “new” things
- Eager to learn, grow, win; brings energy and clarity
Good Minder (Manager, Senior Manager)
- Keeps project rolling, and team mates productive; people know what to do
- Provides clarity on project scope, reduces the ambiguity for team members
- Instills confidence in the client and also juniors on the team
- Creates very good “decks” that are logical, convincing, and interesting
- Serves as the cultural norm, the standard by which others modify behavior
- Drafts sales proposals and marketing material to 80% completion
- Manages project staffing and profitability; no financial surprises on the project
Great Minder, everything listed above +
- Keeps the client happy, engaged and laughing
- Able to push back on partners / principles when appropriate
- Coaches others naturally; others seek his/her opinion
- Possess business acumen and has point-of-view; they are the mini-expert
- Things strategically about the project – what is next, what the risks are
- Gets the endorsement of client; able to reference the project in future proposals
- Finds new business and “add-on” sales at the client site
Good and great finders (principals / partners):
These come in so many shapes, sizes and dispositions that it is hard to generalize. If becoming a partner is “winning” in the consulting game, the key take-way is that there are many ways to win.
My recommendation for those who look to truly excel in a corporate work environment – and consulting – you should pick up How to Be a Star At Work, by Robert Kelley here. Was recommended by one of my mentors, and I agree with most all of the book. Also, there are used copies of the book being sold at amazon for 1 cent +.
