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The impact of technology on consulting is a significant talking point within the sector. Consultancies are boosting efficiency and productivity by implementing AI processes, consultants are taking advantage of hybrid work to improve their work-life balance, and the industry overall appears to be moving towards more tech-heavy practices.
Of course, this shift is not a complete step away from the fundamentals. Consulting has, like many sectors, evolved with the times. Some of these evolutions now seem commonplace – how much work would most of us get done if deprived of the ability to email?
However, consulting at its core remains a people-first business. The quintessentially human qualities of inquiry, active listening, adaptation, and inspiration drive project success and deliver meaningful change. Here, we explore the unique aspects and nuances of consulting that make people the necessary vehicles for transformative change.
Trust is the cornerstone of any consultant’s work. Without the client’s trust, no consultant will be given the freedom to operate effectively or drive meaningful client impact.
According to David Maister’s Trust Equation the key elements of trustworthiness are Credibility, Reliability, and Intimacy. These positive factors can be undermined by Self-Orientation, in other words, the extent to which a consultant focuses on their own interests rather than the client’s needs and outcomes. To foster trust, consultants must prioritise the client’s goals over their personal agenda.
Consultants can boost their Credibility and Reliability with the support of technology, but Intimacy and Self-Orientation – the more irrational or emotional elements of the trust equation – are uniquely human.
Key personal qualities of consultants who excel at building trust, include:
These qualities are fundamental to establishing trust, and they are areas no technology can replicate.
The human brain is truly remarkable. Unquestionably, technology can perform specific tasks better than us – we’ve lost the Chess battle for sure – but human ingenuity and problem-solving ability is unmatched.
AI technology is advancing rapidly and can undoubtedly help consultants stoke creative fires. AI is, however, produced and trained on human-generated data, which means it will always have blind spots that creative and knowledgeable consultants need to fill.
Consultants who nurture qualities such as curiosity, intuition, and open-mindedness, can navigate even the most complex challenges with a depth of understanding and broad perspective that technology cannot replicate.
Consulting is about partnerships, first and foremost. To achieve lasting business transformation, consultants have to understand, inspire, and motivate people, and there’s no one-size-fits-all technique to achieve this.
To collaborate effectively, consultants must learn to:
They need to draw on previous experiences, leverage their unique personality strengths, and have the resilience to overcome challenges.
Consultants can hone their collaboration skills through interpersonal training and on-the-job learning, supported by a comprehensive training framework. These abilities can be developed over time and cannot be replicated by technology.
Consultants are the catalysts for change. Data and technology are invaluable support tools that surpass human efficiency and accuracy, but without consultants’ human skills, they won’t propel your business far.
Consulting is, and always will be, a people business.
At Elevation Learning, we partner with clients to enhance their consultants’ ability to build trust, develop innovative solutions, and collaborate to drive transformative change. If you think we can help you, feel free to get in touch at info@elevationlearning.co.uk or Contact Us.
