How to be a better consultant -

Have you ever wanted to become a better consultant? This was a question I asked myself when I started my professional career in a large consulting organisation.

Can you study to become a better consultant?

You can’t study to become a consultant, and the only way you can improve your consulting skills is to actually learn through apprenticeship of those senior to you.

If you haven’t already, check out this post on how to improve your mindset for 2026.

So I’m sitting on my couch on a cold Saturday night in Melbourne and this is the first post I’m writing in a couple of months, I really wanted to get this out, listening here to Drake (shout out to all the Drake fans out there).

It’s for this reason I wanted to write this post and make this video blog for you guys today, so if you’re an aspiring consultant, then this is just the blog post for you!

Check out the video I made on it below. As always, I wrote this long form blog post that goes into a bit more detail about what I talked about in the video. I hope you enjoy it and get value from it!

Video: How to become a better management consultant

Here are some of the ways I’ve learned to become a better consultant. I wish I knew these things when I started my journey as a consultant, alas if this helps you in any way I’ll be forever grateful.

Become more organised

A really easy thing to do towards becoming a better consultant is actually by being more organised. It’s something that I think most every career and life coach preaches, but it is true. Becoming organised is not hard, all you have to do is be disciplined.

I’ve often found that being disciplined was perhaps the hardest thing to actually do! Starting on day one is easy, say you’re trying to lose weight and you go for a run one day. Your results won’t be measured by just that one run alone. You need to be consistent and this is what trips a lot of people up.

Having the discipline to consistently put in the effort takes a lot of discipline. The same goes with organisation, if you want to be a better consultant you need that discipline day in and day out to ensure you’re consistently successful.

Use technology to improve your organisation

I use a number of tools to help keep me organised, and there are many that you can take advantage of. I always carry a notebook and pen with me everywhere I go. You never know when you’re going to need to jot down a bit of information here and there. Having something to write on means you’ll always be prepared and ready.

I also use a number of software tools to help with my organisation. The first being a good email program. Personally I use Outlook which I’ve got loaded on my phone and laptop. Outlook has great tools to help keep you organised aside from its core functionality as an email client. I use heavily the calendar function to record the details of all my meetings and set reminders for when I need to action tasks or need to meet with people.

If you’re on a Mac you also have access to the built in Mail client which is great, however it doesn’t have a calendar function which is a downside. There are however a lot of free calendar and diary management programs out there that you can take advantage of such as Gmail’s calendar functionality.

Evernote is great for note taking

The second software tool that I rely on is Evernote. In fact I’m writing this article on Evernote. I use it to record ideas for upcoming articles, podcasts and videos and it’s so convenient to have all my information and ideas in one place. I highly recommend it. I recently made a video tutorial on how you can get started with Evernote and you can check it out here.

Video: Beginners guide to Evernote.

Set SMART goals

When you start out in your career you need a way to measure your progress. Being an engineer means that I love numbers and hence love to measure things, least of all my progress against my goals.

A good way to set measurable goals is to set what’s called SMART goals. These are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and have a Timeline. If you’re interested in learning more about SMART goals, check out the in depth article I wrote about it here.

If you set your goals in this way, you’re guaranteed to set goals that are pearsonalised to you and you actually have a great chance at achieving them. There’s nothing worse than missing your goals, or worse still, losing motivation because it’s unrealistic and out of reach.

Align with your Client’s expectation

This tip is really important. Whenever you’re dealing with people, you run the risk of misunderstandings and missed expectations. Aligning with your clients on their expectations and goals is critical to ensuring that you’re able to meet and exceed the scope set forth.

Communication is key here and this is where your interpersonal soft skills will come into play. When in doubt, always over communicate so that your client knows exactly what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.

This way they are always aware of what you’re doing and you build the consultant-client trust which is critical to fostering a long term beneficial relationship. Studies that have shown that constant, two-way communication is established, client expectations tend to stay stable [1].

When you align expectations with your client you increase the likelihood that they will help and support you when you need it the most. Say you have to present your findings to a group of client stakeholders and there is something that doesn’t quite add up in your presentation. If you have a strong relationship with your client, they are more likely to overlook the mistake or at the very least, still trust that it is an isolated incident.

Deliver Insights

While being able to crunch numbers is a critical skill in consulting, unfortunately this is not why client’s pay high hourly rates. Insights are what allows you to command a high rate in the consulting world.

Being able to ask ’so what’ is important. It’s key to not only to report on the magnitude of a problem or issue, it’s important to say why and what must be done with the information to achieve the project’s goal.

Jimmy Brown, Ph.D. answered the question of ‘What is the difference between data, information and insight?’ In a recent Benedictine University blog post. He contends that Insight is gained by analysing data and information to understand what is going on with the particular situation or phenomena. The insight can then be used to make better business decisions.

When you deliver insights you prove to your client that you can think critically. That you are a consultant worth your salt and one that is able to work independently.

Relationships are key

Linked to the tip above on the importance of aligning with your client’s expectations, relationships with your peers, colleagues and clients are equally important. You can improve your relationships in several ways.

The most effective way to improve your relationships, is to build rapport with people. You must do this in a genuine way otherwise people will be able to see right through your facade.

A manager I used to work with early in my career often told me that when he was interviewing anyone, he would always ask himself if the candidate would pass the airport test.

The airport test is basically a test where a person is evaluated on agreeableness and friendliness such that they would be a joy to be around in a place like an airport where you might have to spend a number of hours together with. If the person doing the evaluating feels like this person would fail the test, then it’s likely that the personality is incompatible with consulting.

This is an important story I feel. It shows the power of relationships. It’s often said that as a professional, we’re in the business of relationships. When our value to a firm and indeed as a consultant is tied to our relationships it then makes sense that we cultivate and protect them.

If you’re a young consultant I’d encourage you to keep maintaining your relationships with your peers and clients. It will serve you well.

Always give back through mentoring

The final tip I can give you is that at the end of the day being a professional is more than just being about money. We are duty bound to give back to those coming up in the profession to mentor them and help them navigate the maze that is their career.

Last year in 2019 I volunteered to become a mentor for a student at my university. I can’t tell you how much gratitude I felt as I helped my mentee learn and understand what it meant to be a professional.

Not only was I able to pass on some (limited) wisdom to him, but I equally and probably more learned so much from him. The exchange of experience and knowledge was mutually beneficial.

If you are a young consultant, make sure you connect and maintain relationships with more mature consultants and if you’re an older consultant, make it a point to pass on your knowledge and know how to the younger generation.

Wrapping up

Ok guys, that’s about all I have to say on this topic. I hope this gives all you young consultants a few things to think about as you navigate your early years in this noble profession. At least I think it is!

Let me know how you’ve become a better consultant in the comments below, I’d love to know!

Until next time, stay safe Life Success Crew!

Peace,

Craig