21-Aug-2015 - If you're trying to launch a consulting career, Martin Hazell, director for U.K. consulting firm Simplexity, recommends narrowing down the type of consulting you want to try, then identifying the firms that are successful in those areas - and finally, trying to join one of them.
"The larger firms can offer the security of a predictable income while you are learning the ropes," he says. "If you are set on joining a smaller firm, make sure you understand how your income will vary based on success, or otherwise."
If you're set on giving it a go as an independent consultant, Martin advises you to make sure you have the resources to live for a year with no income.
"Your first few contracts will be very tough," he adds.
We focus on clients dealing with complex challenges where there is considerable flux and uncertainty, with many competing ideas but no right answers - only emergent instructive patterns to explore.
Today, I focus on building strategic alliances across Europe, which gives us access to a broader range of clients - and more excitingly, a much broader range of very talented young consultants who are hungry to learn and develop in their chosen fields.
At a more prosaic level, red flags would include: a temptation to fall into habitual, command-and-control mode; a temptation to look for facts rather than allowing patterns to emerge; a desire for accelerated resolution of problems or exploitation of opportunities; a tendency to "know" the answers; quoting from academic theories rather than practical experience.
Connect with Simplexity on LinkedIn.
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