The 3 personality types that make the best in-demand consultants
Maybe you’ve been learning a lot about being a business growth consultant, but you aren’t quite sure it’s the right path for you. You may remember I’ve mentioned before that drive and courage are both key attributes of consultants, but what other personality traits are valuable? I've found that understanding your personality type is especially helpful in the world of consulting as it can really help you identify which aspects of your character and your personality attributes will contribute to your success and what areas might need improvement. Knowing your personality type can also really help you determine if consulting is the right career path for you. In this post, we’ll dive in and discover what personality types make a great consultant and how you can leverage your traits and how you can leverage your traits for success in this field.
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What Are Personality Tests and How Are They Used?
The industry of personality testing is about $2 billion, according to Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. This figure isn’t at all surprising. Entrepreneurs like yourself and myself, we love to take different personality assessments, right? We often ask other people what they are. We share what we are because the information can provide valuable insights into our strengths and weaknesses and how they can best work with even other people to achieve their goals. And, let's be honest, it's just kind of fun to dissect how we're built and understand ourselves better in the ongoing effort of personal development, which entrepreneurs love.
Personality tests help to determine our motivations, preferences, interests, and emotional makeup, as well as how we interact with others [R]. Many are self-reporting scales that ask us to agree or disagree with different statements. Maybe you’re familiar with the Kolbe-A, Myers-Briggs (or MBTI), DISC, Clifton Strengths Finder, or Enneagram, although there are estimated to be over 2,500 different personality tests available today.
The key thing to understand about personality tests is they are not necessarily accurate, especially since many times they are based on self-reporting. This means they rely on your memory, self-assessment, and your own level of honesty (we all want to be viewed in a positive light). Although these psychometric tests aren’t grounded in real science, they are still helpful and widely used tools to understand yourself and others. The latter is helpful when you are hiring team members for your organization.
Your Unique Personality Traits and Consulting
Analytical
So now that we've set the stage around personality types and whether or not they make really good consultants, let's start out by looking at the first personality type that I think makes a great consultant, which is analytical personality types.
These types of people excel at problem solving, critical thinking and data analysis. They really have a natural knack for identifying patterns and finding solutions, making them a great fit for consulting roles that require strategic thinking and just the ability to navigate complex situations, the kind of situations that people would hire a consultant to help solve.
So for example, in the DISC assessment, somebody with a C personality type, which is conscientiousness, is typically analytical and detail oriented. In the Enneagram Type 5, the investigator is known for their analytical skills and desire to understand the world around them. Similarly, in the Strengthsfinder assessment, a person with an analytical theme just has that natural ability to search for reasons and clues and causes. Lastly, in the Kobe index, which we use in our own company for team building, individuals with a Fact Finder score are detail driven, excel at gathering and analyzing information.
These are just some of the examples and how different personality assessments can identify analytical traits that can sometimes not always contribute to success in consulting roles. Having an analytical personality type can be a significant advantage in a consulting role or in the world of consulting because these individuals are naturally curious and possess the ability to break down complex problems into small, manageable parts. This is a really helpful skill when working with clients to solve their most pressing issues. Analytical personality types also have a strong desire to understand and just get the underlying causes of problems and they can develop innovative and data-driven solutions to address them.
In addition, an analytical consultant is really likely to be thorough and detail oriented. They like to ensure that no aspect of a problem or solution is overlooked, and their ability to think critically and objectively allows them to evaluate different scenarios and just make the best decision possible and the best recommendation possible, really, which can help build trust with clients.
Moreover, they really can look at data and be able to support their recommendations with evidence, making it easier for clients to understand the rationale behind a proposed solution that is on the table.
When it comes to consulting, an analytical personality type can really lead to a successful consulting career because it provides the necessary skills and mindset to navigate complex challenges and deliver impactful results for clients.
People-Oriented
In addition to analytical personality types, another group that great consultants are those that are people oriented. I very much fall into this category. People-oriented individuals excel in communication, empathy, and relationship building, making them an excellent fit for consulting roles that require strong interpersonal skills. There's rarely a personality challenge that I can't navigate pretty easily. And if you're that kind of person, you're probably people oriented.
Just like analytical counterparts, people-oriented consultants bring their own unique strengths to the table that contribute to the success of their ability to be a consultant.
So for instance, people with high scores in the I, or “influence,” category of the DISC assessment or Type 2 “The Helper” in the Enneagram are often skilled at connecting with others and understanding their needs and just having this innate desire to help and understand all the different perspectives. I am both an “I’ and an Enneagram 2, and that's really very true of how I operate.
People oriented personality types can quickly establish rapport and build trust with clients, which is really essential for effective collaboration and problem solving. Similarly, those who score high in the empathy themes in the Clifton Strengthsfinder assessment. Those people just have a natural ability to form strong connections. And because they genuinely care about other people and their wellbeing and their ability to be successful. A Quick Start on a Kolbe assessment is another personality type that can contribute to being a strong people-oriented consultant. A Quick Start personality type is somebody who's characterized by having a preference for spontaneity, adaptability, and a natural ability to think on their feet. And so that means they're able to come up with innovative solutions and they're really unafraid of taking risks to achieve results. This can be really beneficial when it comes to consulting, when clients often are seeking out of the box thinking and they need a rapid response to the challenges that they're facing in a people-oriented type of consulting role, a quick start personality can excel in building relationships really fast as they tend to have excellent communication skills. And just again, that desire to make a connection with other people,
People oriented individuals are often able to understand really quickly and empathize with the client's needs, making them feel heard and valued. And the flexible nature of a quickstart also allows them to adapt to their approach and suit different types of clients and situations.
So by combining the strengths of a Quick Start personality with other analytical and strategic traits, a consultant can really offer that well-rounded service that meets the diverse needs of different types of clients and delivers consistent outstanding results.
Strategic
So now that we looked at both analytical and people-oriented personality types, here's one other crucial aspect of consulting that can really help, which is strategic thinking. Consultants with a strategic personality type often possess the ability to see the bigger picture, they make informed decisions and they can also adapt to changing circumstances with ease and flow. Their forward thinking nature and knack for identifying opportunities and challenges make them really invaluable assets in the consulting world.
Examples of strategic personality types might include individuals with high scores in the D or ‘Dominance” category of the DISC assessment, or Type 5, “The Investigator” in the Enneagram. They're particularly skilled at long-term planning, assessing various options and choosing the most viable path forward for their clients. In the Clifton Strengthsfinder assessment, those who have strategic or futuristic themes among their top strengths are particularly adept at identifying patterns and trends, enabling them to develop innovative solutions and anticipate potential roadblocks on what might make a consulting arrangement successful or unsuccessful.
In consulting, strategic personality types often excel at guiding clients through really complex projects or organizational change initiatives. They can break down big picture goals into small actionable steps and help clients navigate just unforeseen challenges with so much confidence.
Their ability to think several moves ahead and quickly adjust course is often what is needed for ensuring that consulting projects stay on track and that their clients achieve their dream outcomes. With a strategic mindset, consultants can bring a level of foresight and adaptability that can make just like all the difference in the success of their clients' projects and goals.
Do You Have the Personality for a Successful Consulting Career?
Different personality types each bring unique strengths and perspectives to the world of consulting. It's helpful to keep in mind that if you have just one of these, you can still be a really successful consultant. You don't need to have all of them. It’s important to own the gifts you have and not try to be someone you’re not; otherwise you’ll end up feeling unaligned with your work and your clients. So for example, I'm actually pretty low on the Fact Finder and Thoroughness or Follow Up on the Kolbe assessment. So as a result, I make sure that I have team members who are.
As your consultancy grows, you can really benefit different types of people in your organization, each bringing unique strengths to the different consulting projects that you have. This is also why having a mix of personality traits just within yourself, maybe you're analytical or maybe you're more people oriented or strategic, but you can do a little bit of each, contributes to a well-rounded consulting approach.
Remember that no one's perfect or no one has all the traits and equal measure. And that's where self-awareness can really come into play. Where we're aware of our strengths and weaknesses and we lean into our strengths more within our consulting arrangements and packages and offers.
By being self-aware and understanding our own personality type allows us to identify areas where we naturally excel and where we might need to either hire or develop certain types of skills. Embracing a mindset of personal growth and entrepreneurship in general allows us to continually learn, evolve, and become more effective at anything that we do. So surrounding yourself with a diverse team of other professionals with complementary strengths or even taking part in personal and professional development can help you create a more comprehensive service offering for your clients.
In conclusion, recognizing your unique personality traits and working to develop a balance between them is essential for building a successful consulting career. Always stay forever curious and be open to learning. And remember that self-awareness and personal growth are the key to unlocking your full potential in anything you do, particularly consulting.
If you feel you might have the right personality for a career as an in-demand consultant, my consulting certification program,Fractional Freedom, will teach you everything you need to know to get your consulting offer up and running within 10 weeks or less.
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