Michael Koby

When you are a consultant, writing becomes an important part of your daily routine.  Everything from proposals, emails, to instant messages get written.  You need to make sure that you can communicate effectively through your writing even if it is just a simple instant message.

So what are some ways to become a better communicator through the written word?  The two best ways that I know of personally are to:

1. Read
2. Write

These are two sure fire methods to becoming a better communicator through writing.  Now here is the catch, when I say to “read” I mean to read a newspaper, book, or something that’s printed.  Yes, you can read blogs and other online content, but there is something about reading online that does not seem to have the same mental translation to better writing then if you read a book or newspaper.  For some reason when you read, words on a page the brain seems to store the method of writing in your brain so that you might use it later.  It could be the phrasing, use of punctuation, or even just simple adjectives to describe something.  It sticks with you better.

The other (more obvious) way to get better at writing is to actually write.  It’s true, since I have started blogging (coming up on two years in May) my writing has drastically improved.  I get compliments on it all the time.  It is nice to be told “well written email” or “your edits made the proposal better” and you’ll get used to hearing it that you’ll strive to become an even better writer.  If you do not have a blog, write haikus, short stories, anything to put your words on paper.  The more you write, the better you’ll start to get.

Remember that when writing you want to make your point, but you want to be as concise as possible.  You want to use as few words as possible but still display a sense of eloquence about your self.  Not in a, “I’m above everyone else and so much smarter too” kind of way but rather a demonstration that you have harnessed this skill.  If you can show you are an effective writer, it might lead to other opportunities that you might not have thought about at first.  So keep that in mind as you write emails, proposals, and anything else for that matter.

First off, I’m sorry about missing last week, I was busy and just didn’t get the article written in time.  Now, moving onto this week’s Consulting Consultants.

If you are a newcomer to the consultant market, you probably have figured out quite quickly that knowledge is power.  Not power as in the ability to boss others around but rather it power in the sense that the more you know, the further you will go.  So the general idea is to learn as much as you can.

Knowledge Routes

There are two distinct routes you can go (3 if you do a combination of the two) when it comes to knowledge: specialization or breadth.  Specialization is exactly what it sounds like in that you pick a technology or subject and you dive in deep.  You become the guru of that topic/technology/whatever.  If you go for breadth, you will now a little about a lot but not have much depth on anyone particular thing.  Some consider this a blessing while others might consider it a hindrance, and which one will largely depend on where or with whom you work.

Specialization

Specialization is great if you really love a specific technology.  If there is one thing that you specifically love doing, reading about, and keeping up with then it is probably a good idea to specialize in that.  Specialization is also great because you become the expert, the guru, the "go to guy" for any and all questions around your specialization.  A specialization is extremely helpful if there are a lot of people using a specific technology or product and need folks that know it well.  The reverse to that is, if you become specialized and that product goes away or becomes less popular, you are left with an a lot of knowledge about a product no one is using and thus you are now difficult to place or you find it hard to locate a contract for that specific product/technology.

The best way to specialize is to grab a book, subscribe to blogs, and simply play with the product/technology until you understand it inside and out.  For an example we’ll use Microsoft’s Sharepoint technology.  There are about a hundred books on the technology and Microsoft has it’s own blogs specifically from those that wrote, developed, and use the technology.  Microsoft also offers a Sharepoint virtual machine that anyone can download for free to try out and train on.  But the main point is, you read and absorb all you can on the specific focus you want to specialize in.

Breadth

Going for breadth leaves you with a similar problem.  You are hard to place because you know a little about a lot.  You might have a little more depth on certain products/technologies, but in general you are not an expert on any particular thing.  But don’t lose heart because know a little about a lot can help you understand why things work the way they do or better yet why one product or technology is better than another in a certain situation.  This can lead to what a colleague of mine refers to as the "Why Factor" (which we’ll discuss in this column at a later date).

When it comes to learning a little about a lot, you have a little more work to do than someone who is specializing.  You have to read, subscribe, and attend trainings as much as possible for as many products/technologies as possible.  So your RSS subscription list is going to get rather large.  However, the more you read and connect on, the more you will understand overall.  Sure you might not be able to dive deep into C++ code but you can probably look at it and understand what it is doing to some degree.  The idea here is to soak up as much as possible about as many things as possible.  This could result in information overload if you are not careful.

Combination

You can get the best of both worlds however.  If you can pick a specific technology that has a good chance of being around for a while (programming language with cross platform capabilities, for example) and learn as much as you can about that while at the same time reading about other products/technologies.  You can be placed on projects easily but still maintain that "why factor" understanding of how things work and why one might be better than the other.

The problem here is picking the product/technology (or multiples) to really dive into and become more specialized in.  That can be determined by seeing what the market needs and figuring out what products/technologies will more than likely stick around for a while.  So pay attention and do your research.

When you are consulting, you work with a client for a pre-determined period of time.  Usually it is a time period that both you and the client have agreed upon because you both feel that time frame is adequate enough to get the desired task completed.  Sometimes things get in the way and your "contract" is extended or, you finish the task and are sent on your way.  So what happens now?

Finding What’s Available

The first thing that should take place when you realize you are finishing up with your current client is to find out what projects are available.  Since I work for a consulting firm, I will focus on this aspect of things.  The general ideas though can be applied to a contract worker who finds their clients and jobs on their own.

Lets begin with the basics.  What does "rolling off" mean? Quite simply it means that your work for the client is complete or they have decided to let you go.  Either way, you will no longer be working for that client and hence will not be billing any hours, thus not earning any money.

Once you know you will be rolling off a project, you need to alert the account mangers in your firm of your availability.  This initially can be done via email, while still on site with your current client.  The email should include the following:

1. Your name, position, and primary skill set.  You might also include basic information about the skill sets used at our most recent client
2. The date of your immediate availability.  This is the first business day after your last day at the current client.
3. Finally, any specific projects you might want to be a part of, specific things you would like to work with/on

This lets your account managers know that you are available and what kind of roles you can fill.  Once you have rolled off your current project you need to follow this email up with in person meetings.

Getting to Know Your Account Managers

The account managers in your firm need to be your best friends in the firm.  They are the ones that find you a project.  They will get you back out in the field and billing for a client thus keeping your overall utilization up (utilization is important when working for a consultant firm it represents how much money you bring in versus how much you don’t).

So your first day off a project should be spent going around and meeting as many account managers as possible.  These guys have their ears to the ground and know what skill sets are popular and most requested.  They can help you figure out what you need to focus reading up on, learning, and general knowledge growth direction.  Some questions to ask the account managers are:

1. What current projects do you have openings on?
2. What skill sets are you seeing a lot of requests for?

You should also reiterate some of the things you sent in your initial email.  Stating who you are what skill sets you have, what you are interested in, and so forth.  Remember, you need to be on these account mangers’ minds.  If you are, when they get something they will remember you and get you on the project quickly.  These folks can not sell who they don’t know, so make sure they know you.

Training

When you roll off a project, you are usually considered to be "on the bench".  This is something I have written about previously (On the Bench).  When you are on the bench, you want to also be working on improving your skill set.  If you work for a consulting firm, chances are they have made training materials available to you or have a very rich library that you can use to help learn new skills or improve existing ones.  Once you have spoken with the account managers to find out what clients are looking for, you can begin researching and learning about the skill sets in question.  If you already have a needed skill, make sure to speak up.  The sooner you can get on a project the happier everyone is.

In Closing

Being off a project is the life of a consultant.  Some times you are on a project other times you are not.  It is a cycle.  The important thing is what you do with your time that you are not on a project that will help you become the best consultant you can be.  Talk to your account managers, refresh and better current skill sets, make sure to work at learning new skill sets.  All of this will help you stay off the bench and billing at a client.

Before I went on extended hiatus back in late October, I had started a weekly series entitled "Consulting Consultants" which was one part commentary and one part "how-to" on consulting.  Since at the time I had just started working for a consulting firm I figured it would be a good place to output thoughts on the subject on consulting, being a consultant, and general help to those just starting out in the field like I was.  It is now March and I have not written on the series in quite some time.  While I am by no means an expert in the field I do feel that I can offer perspective as someone new to the field.

This post is to announce the revival of this series for the purpose of getting some of my weekly series started back up.  We will start with the Consulting Consultant series because I have a page in my notebook of post ideas for the series.  As I work to get this series back on track, I will then look at reviving my "Songs & Such" series.

So starting next Friday, you will begin seeing a new Consulting Consultant’s post every Friday.  Check back for more on the world of consulting.