As management consultants, we are answerable to our clients. Therefore, it can feel uncomfortable to fully adopt the role of leader. However, embracing leadership can lead to better outcomes – so long as you demonstrate the right blend of skills.
This is what I found when tasked with implementing a sustainability programme for an NHS Trust in the east of England. Using this experience as the basis for my master’s in healthcare leadership dissertation, I was able to analyse my own leadership skills and what was most (and least) appreciated by the client and my peers.
My study showed five core leadership skills for management consultants within healthcare:
- Communication: Unsurprisingly, good communication is vital to establishing good relationships.
- Empathy: Going hand-in-hand with communication, empathy is crucial to navigating teams and clients through the inevitable challenges they face.
- Humility: This was a characteristic aligned with my own personal development. And while humility is a desirable quality, a management consultant that is too humble will fail to convince others of their ability, which will impact client-consultant relationships as well as project outcomes.
- Trustworthiness: Stepping into a leadership role impacts power dynamics and pre-existing hierarchies. Without trust, relationships can suffer.
- Flexibility: Vital for management consultants – and leaders in general – is the ability to adapt their leadership approaches throughout a project to generate and maintain momentum.
While it is naturally easier for expert management consultants to assume leadership based on their specialised knowledge, process management consultants work with people who are often far more knowledgeable than they are. This was certainly my experience in a healthcare setting. However, findings from the study showed that management consultants can be agents of change if they utilise key leadership skills that empower others, help clients manage ambiguity, and ultimately implement successful projects.
One last point: leadership isn’t just for those at a senior level. As is often repeated in the business world: “everyone is a leader”, as everyone can excel at what they do best. I have often found that it’s the most junior people in an office who play the biggest role in galvanising the team, either through their personalities or by occupying roles which facilitate teamwork. My advice to less senior consultants in our industry is to embrace leadership in whatever capacity they can – it will give them valuable experience while also boosting outcomes for our clients.
Robert Neave BSc (Hons) MSc, principal healthcare consultant, Mott MacDonald