There are lots of serious articles out there listing n traits that every consultant should have (“resilient”, “forward-thinking”, “good hair”). This is not one of those articles.
GET THE JOB DONE
This is the baseline requirement. Everyone should understand this, moving on.
LOW MAINTENANCE / NO DRAMA
The only time that you should be noticed by your client’s management is for doing a good job and solving problems. Some people trip themselves up with personal conflicts, they don’t/can’t fit in with the client’s company culture, they don’t follow the client’s policies, etc. Being a good consultant requires being flexible. You don’t have to like everyone you work with, you don’t have to agree with every policy or rule, but you need to be able to put that aside and at most gently push back. You are there to solve problems, not to create HR drama.
KNOWS THAT CONSULTING IS A LONG GAME
This is an extension of the first two items. Getting or losing your next assignment depends greatly on your reputation and contact network. Before you burn a bridge, consider how that will impact how the consulting market will react. Build your network of contacts and get your name out there. This is not the same as spamming LinkedIn, this is being known for your work and having a reputation for being easy to work with.
DON’T BE RELIGIOUS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY OR PROCESS
You can be an Apple fan boy, you can drink the Microsoft Kool-aid, you can think that Agile will create peace in the Middle East. There’s nothing wrong with being an advocate, but don’t let it pigeon hole your career. The market will make decisions that don’t align with your faith; your career depends on being able to perform in the actual market. I’m not saying don’t focus on a technology, just be open to the next thing and don’t go down with the ship. Or you can be a Blackberry server specialist because phones without physical keyboards won’t go anywhere, it’s your call.
ALWAYS BE LEARNING
Don’t be that guy/gal that maintains the AS/400 COBOL payroll system because that’s all you know. Pick something that you enjoy and/or where you want your career to go and start learning it. Be careful though, don’t pick something that has no market. For example, the latest flavor-of-the-month language is probably cool and probably won’t go anywhere (sorry, see Don’t be religious).
HAVE A TESTING / DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Don’t be a cowboy/girl, have some decent practices. Is your work backed up and under source control? If your laptop is stolen or damaged, then how much will you lose? The answer better be nothing or nothing important. Do you develop test scripts to prove that your work is accurate and complete? How do you keep track of your tasks? How do you approach regression testing? Can you answer these questions in an interview?
KNOW WHEN TO SAY NO
This one can be tricky as it can conflict with being low maintenance. There will be times when your client wants to attempt the (near) impossible. If you don’t believe it can be done and/or see a very low chance of success, then explain your reservations and step away. Don’t take the mental health hit. There’s no value to your reputation in being associated with a failed project. It’s actually the opposite, the failed project stench sticks to you regardless of how your part went.
MAKE YOUR TEAM / PROJECT LOOK GOOD (IF YOU DIDN’T SAY NO)
There will be times when you are on a project with other consultants/employees that aren’t doing a good job and/or aren’t completing their tasks. Or the project plan might be missing key tasks so they aren’t assigned to anyone. It is tempting to just think that you can do a good job yourself and that it’s not your problem. Unfortunately, it is your problem because you are associated with the project. If the issue is personnel, then you may need to minimize the damage that they are doing, get them off the project, or help them out. If it’s an unexpected problem/task, then you might need to step up and solve it. It’s not fair, but you need to deal with it.
HAVE SOMETHING TO OFFER BESIDES TECHNICAL PROWESS
You need something else beside technical skills, otherwise you are eminently replaceable with cheap overseas labor. Can you lead a project, act as a business analyst, do system analyst work, design a solution, etc.? What is your answer to the question of why you are needed versus an outsourced resource?
HAVE A LIFE
This is another variation on the long game, but if you are consistently working 60-70 hours a week and don’t have a life outside of work, then your crash is going to be spectacular (and drama inducing). This is different than being able to step it up when needed, every consultant needs to be able to turn it up for several weeks. But don’t be a drone, don’t be a person that is defined by their work. It may be counterintuitive, but you will be a better consultant if you actually have a life outside of work.
BE CONFIDENT
Consultants are hired to solve problems, your manner should convey that you are the person that they need. It’s cliché, but never let them see you sweat. This is not being a braggart, this is being able to accurately communicate your abilities and making the client comfortable that they can put their trust in you. If you know when to say no then by extension you know when to say yes.
BONUS
Realize that every client is messed up in at least one way. If the client has strong management, a great long term vision, and a competent staff to implement this vision then they don’t need you. Keep this in mind when you are complaining. 🙂
