This blog post is the third in a series on how to differentiate your consulting practice by using an internationally recognized competence framework.

In the previous blog, Part 2 – Adherence to an Enforceable Code of Ethics, I presented that adherence of an enforceable Code of Ethics would be a major part of market differentiation. The content from Part 2 bears repeating. Public examples of poor ethics decisions (such as McKinsey’s $641 million fine for their work in Purdue Pharma opioid effort) were used to simply demonstrate that behaviors in line with a Code of Ethics might have precluded most or all of these very embarrassing and costly cases.

The example I cited was from an article that appeared in my news feed, “Consulting Firm McKinsey to pay $230 million in latest US opioid settlements.” The article announced an additional payment of $230 million from McKinsey “primarily to local governments and school districts” that filed lawsuits. That’s  nearly $1B in settlements because of behavior that adherence to an enforceable Code of Ethics might have prevented, the very IMC USA Code of Ethics one of McKinsey founders tried to inculcate into the organization!  

Deeply consider this — remember that one of the founders of McKinsey, Marvin Bower said, “There was a backbone in the firm that was nonnegotiable when it came to matters of ethics.”  It was said “…that Marvin incorporated the code of ethics in establishing this firm,” noting the impact Mr. Bower had on the founding of McKinsey. Yikes, how the mighty have lost their NorthStar. 

But, back to the topic of this blog: using a competence framework to differentiate your consulting practice.

What You Consult in Versus How You Consult

“It’s not What you consult in, but How you consult.” was stated in the first of this series of blogs.  The services that you provide clients are not what I am presenting here; that’s the What you do.

In the first of this series, I also presented an international definition of a management consultant shortened to read: “one who helps organizations through their knowledge and skills to provide objective advice the organization may be lacking.”

You and your practice likely fit within that inclusive definition whether you are a solopreneur, in a small to mid-sized boutique firm, in a larger professional services firm or inside an organization whose primary purpose is not consulting.

Part 3 – A Competence Framework: The How of Consulting

This blog series is on, however, market differentiation – how you separate yourself and your practice from others to gain market share and increased exposure. I propose the second way herein. In addition to adherence to an enforceable Code of Ethics, I believe that a deep understanding of the set of international consulting competencies adds to your market uniqueness. 

Most consultants are trained in What they consult in, few are cognizant of and practice the very skills needed in the act of consulting – the How you consult. Fundamental to this “How,” is a competence framework that is an international effort.  The competence framework “specifies the cluster of related activities, principles, commitments, knowledge, skills and experience that a management consultant should demonstrate in practice in order to successfully complete an assignment, independently and unsupervised.”

The bottom line is that understanding and adhering to the Framework is to instill confidence in you and your practice. It is a profession-wide understanding of appropriate professional behavior. There are four levels (dark blue). On the bottom is the foundation, Ethics and Professional Conduct, and on top of this are Consultative Behavior, Practice Capabilities, and Business Insight and Aptitude.

At the first or foundational level, is Ethics, which we wrote about in the previous blog, Part 2: Adherence to an Enforceable Code of Ethics. Professional Conduct is the subject of the next in this series, Blog # 4.

Consultative Behavior

Consultative Behavior is the actions that your client and others experience. It is essential to know your own skills (beyond the What you do) in how you interact with others or intervene through problem-solving. Awareness of what you are hired into as a role and what role you have in the task is especially important. In short, consultative behavior includes both your personal capabilities and your personal behavior.

Consultant Practice Capabilities

Practice Capabilities is the understanding of consultancy especially with regards to building and sustaining relationships and the consulting process itself. Practice capabilities include your assignment/engagement management methodologies and your consultative capabilities.

Consultant Business Insight and Aptitude

Business Insight and Aptitude is achieved through experience as a consultant and in participation in consulting industry activities and consulting associations, like IMC USA. Finally, this section includes your client, specialism and sectorial knowledge and your consultancy and consulting business insight.

Together, these form the Competence Framework which provides more details in each of these major sections and the competencies mentioned above.

How does this framework assist you in differentiating your practice?

True Market Differentiation for Consultants

As mentioned in Part 2 of this series, to differentiate yourself and your practice you focus on What you do – your skills and experiences that you bring to the client. Indeed, most consultants focus their sales and marketing efforts on two ‘features’:

1. their professional skills and experiences, and
2. their knowledge of a segment or type of business.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this approach; it works for many consultants. But, in my view, focus on What you do – your “features” – doesn’t go far enough.

My contention is that there is an additional, powerful set of differentiators for consultants that involves:

1. their unique experience and knowledge,
2. an international consulting competence framework, and
3. wraps it all around adherence to an enforceable Code of Ethics and a Code of Professional Conduct (subject of the next blog).

The graphic below can help further summarize the Consulting Competence Framework. Use it perhaps to identify those areas you might want to do a deeper dive into to help you become a better consultant. 

With the Consulting Competence Framework, I acknowledge that a management consultant bears a three-part responsibility – to Society, the Client, and the Profession.

Competence Framework: A Tool for Transformative Change

It is this Competence Framework that provides the foundation for a great practice that adds transformative change and value for clients. The Competence Framework details clients’ expectations of consultants, perhaps even some you haven’t considered. Download and take a look at it on IMC USA’s Competence Framework webpage. You’ll likely see opportunities for you to grow.

I believe that a deep understanding of the components of the Consulting Competence Framework will not only help you become a better consultant, but it will also help instill more confidence in your prospects and clients. 

In the next blog we will demonstrate how an understanding and adherence to a Code of (Professional) Conduct further separates you from thousands of other consultants, assisting with your market differentiation.

Stay tuned!

This blog post was printed on the IMC USA blog with permission. It originally appeared on The Consultants Peer Group blog.

About The Author, David Norman CMC®-AF, FCMC

The author, David T. Norman CMC®-AF, FCMC has almost 50 years of experience as a management consultant. He is the Chair of The Consultants Peer Group and CEO of David Norman & Associates, specializing in financial, operational and general management consulting services. David was the first recipient in the United States of the CMC®-AF, Academic Fellow of the international Council of Management Consultant Institutes (ICMCI) and is a FCMC, Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants USA.