by Bruce Newman

   This article was originally published in The Productivity Institute (PI) Newsletter

It has almost always been the accepted norm that the most important characteristic when hiring consultants was their knowledge. This was certainly true in the 1970’s through early 2000 when the key characteristic of most candidates was their knowledge and experience.  Other aspects of a candidate were often deemed secondary.

In a recent survey by The Productivity Institute, respondents were asked to select the three characteristics they deemed most important when hiring a consultant. Surprisingly, the most important deciding characteristic that over 53% of the respondents selected was excellent communication skills, surpassing such traditionally predictable areas as honesty and technical knowledge.  Other characteristics in the PI survey included: professionalism, knowledge, integrity, availability, reliability and several others.  Yet, communication skills easily outdistanced them.  This is very significant. 

Selecting and hiring a consultant is not an easy process or decision; yet, it is crucial for companies to make wise choices, particularly when a consultant can have a direct impact on a company’s productivity.  It is for this reason that The Productivity Institute, LLC, assists organizations in locating and retaining outstanding consultants whose skills and results are excellent.

The ability to work with others was the second most important consulting characteristic, having been selected by 45% of the respondents.  The ability to work with others and good communication skills go hand in hand and allows consultants to fully understand a project’s scope and goals while keeping all project stakeholders appraised of the project’s progress.

These two characteristics surpassed the third most important consulting characteristic: experience. Apparently, in this challenging economy, interpersonal and social skills have become every bit as important (if not more so) than technical skills and experience.  Companies have become aware that successful consulting also requires excellent communications.  Just possessing the appropriate knowledge and experience is no longer adequate. This is quite a departure from the 80’s and early 90’s where the importance of social and interpersonal skills were usually minimized in the selection of consultants.

One common aspect of good project management is the ability of all key parties to regularly and effectively communicate with each other. In many cases, it is the critical factor in determining the success or failure of a project.  It is revealing by this survey that this level of importance has been extended to the hiring of consultants.  

In this frightening economy, where consultants are playing a more important and visible role than ever before, the Human Factors have become a more important decision criterion than they ever had been before. The consultants most in demand are those who are skilled listeners, speakers and team players. For businesses to survive and to thrive in this oppressive economic environment, they are looking for consultants who can play more of a coordinating and leadership role. Consultants have become much more than ‘brains for hire’.

Bruce Newman is the Vice President at The Productivity Institute, LLC, an acknowledged leader in the areas of selecting consultants and improving productivity. He is also the editor of the Productivity Institute Newsletter, a free content-is-king newsletter (circ. 5,400+) and a thought leader.  Follow him on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and the Productivity Institute blog.