Recruiting
The Power of Six
Most consultants have four baseline competencies: a high level of intelligence, the ability to interact with credibility at senior levels, a technical expertise, and an understanding of business issues. However, there exist six other qualities that separate those consultants who emerge as leaders within their firms, according to executive recruiter William Kelly of Kelly & Co., based in New York. Here's Kelly's "List of Six."
• A sense of urgency. Consultants with a healthy fear of failure do whatever it takes to get a project done. They tend to say to themselves, "Some things might be fine now, but what am I doing to make sure they are going to be fine in two weeks? How am I getting the next project?" "They are on the edge of their seat, ready to jump into something new," says Kelly. "They talk in bullets, rather than being long-winded."
• A commitment to client service. While most consultants say they will put a client first and do whatever it takes to get the job done, not all will truly make themselves available to the client virtually any time of the day or night, during weekends, and on vacations.
• Creativity. All exceptional consultants have the ability to think out-of-the-box. They can easily rattle off ten situations in which they have helped clients think through complex issues and come up with some creative solutions.
• Facilitation skills. Good consultants understand how to work with people, bring them together, get them to cooperate, and build teams. The best can do this in very difficult situations.
• Listening skills. "You can't be a great consultant without really understanding a client's problems," says Kelly. "You'd be amazed at how many consultants you sit down with who are more interested in telling a client all of the things they've done. The meeting becomes 75 percent them talking and 25 percent everyone else talking. It really should be the other way around."
• An exceptional work ethic. The best are recognized as working harder than anybody else in their organization. Since they are available to their clients any time of the day, they rarely get their jobs done in 40 hours. They struggle with work/life balance.
Economic Impact
Taking Back the Power
McKinsey & Co. and A.T. Kearney are now counted among those companies that have signed a voluntary "Energy Conservation Declaration of Action" sponsored by a coalition of business groups including the San Francisco Partnership and the Bay Area Council.
The business leaders are attempting to achieve a 20 percent reduction in energy use to help close the gap between supply and demand. Consultants admit that so far, they haven't been affected as much as their clients, specifically those in manufacturing and IT. The two firms have committed to a number of initiatives, including limiting their thermostats to 78 degrees Fahrenheit through October, closing blinds and shades wherever possible, and turning off and unplugging office, kitchen, and other equipment when not actively in use.
"At the end of the day, our laptops work on batteries," says John Macauley, a vice president of A.T. Kearney, who sits on the board of the San Francisco Partnership. "We're a knowledge business, but anybody who is in processing or an IT-intensive business will be materially affected. The impact on us will be inconvenience and a little bit of discomfort, but nothing dramatic."
Unreliability of power would cut California's projected 3.5 percent growth in 2001 to 2.5 percent or less for this year, according to a McKinsey study commissioned by the Bay Area Economic Forum, a partnership of business and government leaders. A one percent hit to the economy is enormous, and few other forces, including the collapse of a foreign market, higher inflation, or a local labor shortage, would have such an impact.
"What the consultants [in general] can help do is project-manage this on an enterprise level to make sure we get some coordination," Macauley says. "If everybody turns off on Tuesday and nobody turns off on Wednesday, Wednesday is going to be a bad day."
Sidebar: California Conservation Tips:
• Make full use of "sleep" settings to power-down unused equipment automatically.
• Replace incandescent exit lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs.
• Upgrade chillers, water heaters, and HVAC units.
• Install occupancy sensors to shut off lights when a room is not in use.
Diversity Initiatives/
Deloitte Vows to Double Female Partners
In a move designed to achieve a female partner/director admission rate of 35% (up from the current 18%), Deloitte & Touche LLP and Deloitte Consulting recently announced a new set of goals and objectives geared toward doubling — within the next four years — the rate at which women are admitted to partnership.
Deloitte's commitments include:
•Securing representation by women in leadership positions that is proportionate to the percentage of women partners and directors.
•Expansion of the current leadership succession planning program to create new opportunities for women.
•Designation of senior partners and directors to serve as mentors and coaches for women.
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