Episode F.009 Consulting Competencies

Introduction
The process of applying expertise to a problem or issue; a consultant is usually an expert or a professional in a specific field and has a wide knowledge of the subject matter. A consultant usually works for a consultancy firm or is self-employed, and engages with multiple and changing clients. Thus, clients have access to deeper levels of expertise than would be feasible for them to retain in-house, and may purchase only as much service from the outside consultant as desired. This section includes 3 major categories of consulting: Threshold Competencies, Core Competencies, and Distinguishing Competencies.

2.1 Threshold Competencies: Competencies Characteristic of Entry Performance; prerequisites for participating in the consulting process.

• A.1 Technical Knowledge: The proficiency in the behavioral sciences bodies of knowledge related to human behavior, economics, and business operations as applied to consulting.

​2.2 Core Competencies: Competencies Characteristic of Proficient Performance; required attitudes, knowledge, and skills to successfully perform in the consulting process.

• 1.0 Information Seeking: Underlying curiosity and desire to know more about things, people or issues. It implies going beyond the questions that are routine or required in the job. It may include digging or pressing for exact information, resolution of discrepancies by asking a series of questions, or less focused environmental scanning for potential opportunities or miscellaneous information that may be of future use.
• 2.0 Analytical Thinking: Understanding a situation in a step-by-step way. Analytical Thinking includes organizing parts of a problem by breaking it apart into smaller pieces, or tracing the implications of a situation, etc., in a systematic way; making systematic comparisons of different features or aspects; setting priorities on a rational basis; identifying time sequence, causal relationships or If - Then relationships.
• 3.0 Conceptual Thinking: The ability to identify patterns or connections between situations that are obviously related, and to identify key or underlying issues in complex situations. It includes using creative or inductive reasoning.
• 4.0 Interpersonal Understanding: The ability to accurately hear and understand the unspoken or partly expressed thoughts, feelings, and concerns of others. It measures increasing complexity and depth of understanding of others and may include sensitivity to different perspectives.
• 5.0 Impact and Influence: An intention to persuade, convince, influence or impress others in order to get them to go along with or support the speaker's agenda. It is based on the desire to have a specific impact or effect on others where the person has a preferred approach, a specific type of impression to make, or a course of action that he or she wants the others to adopt.

2.3 Distinguishing Competencies: Competencies Characteristic of Superior Performance; mastery of all elements in the consulting process.

• B.1 Business Knowledge: Specific to a Practice Domain, understanding the external and internal business issues that create the context for applying subject matter expertise to achieve results.
• 6.0 Focus on Client Needs: Focusing one's efforts on discovering client business issues or needs; agreeing upon a plan of action; and reaching consensus on desired outcomes.
• 7.0 Results Orientation: Dedication to reaching the desired project outcomes or business results, even means overcoming obstacles or problems that may arise.
• 8.0 Project Leadership: The willingness to assume the role as the leader of a project team. It implies a desire to take responsibility for a project (identified by self or others) and lead a diverse team, driving the project through to the desired outcome. The "team" here should be understood broadly as any group in which the person takes on a leadership role.
• 9.0 Self Confidence: The belief in one's own ability to accomplish an assignment and select an effective approach to a task or problem. This includes confidence in one's own ability as expressed in increasingly challenging circumstances and confidence in one's decision or opinions.