Use Internal Consulting Skills to Add Value to Your Company

“I don’t like working with Debby.”

“I highly doubt we will be able to turn in this project on time.”

“Did you think that the process they suggested was actually going to work?”

It can be easy to overlook problems you hear about in the workplace.

They may not be directly related to your team, department, or goals. However, it is not uncommon to find that one day, the problems catch up with you. What can you do when you realize a change needs to be made, but you don’t have the authority to implement it?

Develop internal consulting skills.

Consulting is defined in Beverly Scott’s and Kim Barnes’s Consulting on the Inside: A Practical Guide for Internal Consultants (ASTD Press, 2011) as follows:

“Essentially, a consultant uses expertise, influence, and personal skills to facilitate a client-requested change without having the formal authority to implement the recommended actions.”

This definition clarifies that people in many different areas can play a key consulting role; one that supports others in implementing change. Some examples of roles in which people can practice internal consulting include marketing, finance, internal auditing, strategic planning, information technology, and human resources. The combination of technical expertise, a good set of consulting skills, and the willingness to take initiative enables you to provide greater value to your organization.

Start sharpening your internal consulting skills today by reading the first chapter of Consulting on the Inside.