You're tasked with building a strong team in consulting. What are the most important steps to take?

Prior to embarking on recruitment or role assignments, it’s imperative to establish a clear vision for your team’s mission and objectives. Define the scope and nature of the project or service being offered, outlining expectations and deliverables for both clients and the firm. Additionally, consider how you’ll gauge your team’s performance and impact. Articulating a well-defined purpose and goals enables alignment of team skills, values, and motivations, facilitating effective communication with all stakeholders. This strategic approach sets the foundation for success, ensuring cohesion and direction within the team as it endeavors to fulfill its mandate.

1. Identificar competencias clave: Establece habilidades técnicas y blandas cruciales para los objetivos del equipo. 2. Valores y cultura: Define valores que guíen las decisiones y acciones del equipo, fortaleciendo la cohesión. 3. Estrategias de motivación: Desarrolla enfoques para mantener la motivación y el compromiso con los objetivos. 4. Feedback continuo: Implementa mecanismos para feedback regular, ajustando estrategias y procesos. Medición del rendimiento: Utiliza indicadores claros y medibles para evaluar el progreso hacia los objetivos. Estos puntos te ayudarán a crear un equipo sólido y alineado, capaz de alcanzar sus metas de manera eficiente.

1- Hire domain specialists 2- Continue investing in their knowledge. Enable systems and core expectations around this 3- Budget for industry level events- conferences, marketing etc to gain leverage 4- all of the above needs to be strongly tied to the purpose, vision and mission of the business with continuous reiteration

Building a strong team in consulting involves several key steps: Set clear goals and understand clients' needs. Hire skilled and diverse people. Foster teamwork and collaboration. Support continuous learning and development. Cultivate a positive and inclusive atmosphere. Define roles and responsibilities clearly. Encourage creativity and innovation. Provide regular feedback for improvement. Stay flexible and adapt to changes. Following these steps will build a strong consulting team, delivering exceptional results and fostering a positive work environment.

To build strong teams, members must be actively aware about why and what the team is all about. I call this the know-why and know-what of teams. Leaders should clearly explain the why of the team so that members can key into the vision from day one. Articulating the 'what' of the team in terms of the goals to be accomplished is also equally important. It helps team members to support each other and share ideas on the know-hows (objectives) to get the job done. Once a leader gets to this phase, the task is 90% accomplished even before the core activities start.

Para abordar las brechas de habilidades en tu equipo de consultoría: 1. Evaluaciones periódicas: Usa evaluaciones para identificar brechas específicas en habilidades. 2. Capacitación personalizada: Desarrolla planes de capacitación enfocados en cerrar estas brechas. 3. Mentoría interna: Aprovecha la experiencia interna para el desarrollo de habilidades a través de la mentoría. 4. Asociaciones estratégicas: Considera colaboraciones o nuevas contrataciones para habilidades críticas externas. 5. Cultura de aprendizaje: Fomenta un entorno que valora la adaptabilidad y el aprendizaje continuo. Implementando estas acciones, podrás fortalecer las capacidades de tu equipo y prepararlo para futuros desafíos.

The more you know about the skills and gaps among your team members, the better you can act and make decisions. Sometimes, you need more time to notice it and may even give the wrong task to the wrong person. Sometimes, the gap is too essential to be left, and you are just in a hurry. You want everything to be done at a specific time and do not get the expected result. Guess what? You can't blame anyone but yourself. I recommend taking the time necessary to clarify the skills, gaps, and opportunities, and don't miss any details.

Habla con tu equipo, haz seguimiento continuo y preocúpate por el estado de cada uno. La falta de liderazgo y asumir que todos ya saben cumplir los objetivos , genera que ignores sus brechas de conocimiento y capacidad de gestión. Es importante ser un líder cercano que guíe y defina criterios objetivos para identificar estrategias para el desarrollo de su equipo.

Assess the core competencies required to achieve your goals and provide exceptional client service. Analyze the current skill-sets of existing team members. This helps you pinpoint areas where you might need to recruit new talent with specialized knowledge or upskill current team members through training and development. Proactively addressing skill gaps ensures that your team possesses the full range of expertise needed to deliver on diverse and challenging projects, bolstering your overall capabilities as a consulting force.

Para optimizar la contratación e incorporación en consultoría: 1. Selección rigurosa: Utiliza entrevistas conductuales y pruebas de habilidades para evaluar la compatibilidad técnica y cultural. 2. Valorar adaptabilidad: Busca candidatos que demuestren aprendizaje continuo y adaptabilidad. 3. Programa de incorporación completo: Incluye información sobre cultura, objetivos y expectativas de la empresa. 4. Mentoría inicial: Asigna mentores a los nuevos empleados para facilitar su adaptación. 5. Feedback temprano: Implementa canales de feedback desde el inicio para ajustes y desarrollo rápido. Estas estrategias aseguran la integración efectiva de nuevos talentos, alineándolos con la cultura y objetivos del equipo.

Get the right people to work. Be specific about the potential talent you want as part of your team and vet them properly as you onboard them with company 'love'. By so doing, you are getting the right candidate for you. Don't just get talents people say are good, get the ones that are good for you. The best way to get that is to define and describe your ideal candidate in terms of experience, skills, culture fit, among others.

Build a T-Shaped Team for Consulting Success: 1. Hire "T" Talent:Recruit deep industry/functional experts with strong communication, problem-solving, & collaboration skills.
 2. Mentor & Learn:Foster an environment where team members can leverage their deep expertise while learning from each other's skills. 
 3. Cross-Functional Teams:Structure projects with diverse T-shaped teams, combining their expertise for holistic client solutions.
 4. Develop Leaders:Invest in leadership development beyond technical skills.
 5. Continuous Learning:Promote ongoing learning in specialties & broader consulting best practices.
 The T-shaped approach builds a team with a potent mix of specialisation & collaboration, driving impactful client results.

It doesn't matter how skillful the people you hire to be on your team are. If you give them the wrong task unrelated to their profession and experience, you will waste time, energy, and resources.

Beyond technical skills, prioritize candidates with strong communication, problem-solving, and teamwork abilities. Seek individuals who demonstrate a passion for learning and a drive to excel. During onboarding, invest time in thoroughly introducing new hires to your team's purpose, goals, and established methodologies. Provide mentorship opportunities and clear performance expectations. By meticulously selecting and integrating new talent, you cultivate a team environment of trust, collaboration, and high performance.

Before motivating your team members, make sure the issue they are facing is mental. If they are facing a problem related to data and information that might cause severe damage to the projects, then saying, "You can do it," is not wise.

Un equipo efectivo es un reflejo de la capacidad de su líder. La habilidad para guíar, expresar claramente los objetivos, hacer seguimiento de los avances y motivar el mejoramiento continuo, hacen la diferencia entre un jefe que ordena y un líder que guía. Conviertete en un lidere que genere transformaciones positivas en tu equipo, así podrás construir gestionar y sacar provecho de un equipo al máximo nivel de desempeño.

Consistent management and motivation are key to long-term success. Set clear expectations and foster a culture of accountability. Provide regular, constructive feedback to help team members grow. Recognize and celebrate individual contributions and team achievements, boosting morale and a sense of purpose. Offer opportunities for professional development to keep team members engaged and invested in their growth. By being an attentive and supportive manager, you'll create a dynamic environment where your team can thrive, directly impacting client satisfaction and your firm's overall success.

Para manejar conflictos en consultoría eficazmente: 1. Fomenta comunicación abierta: Crea un entorno donde expresarse libremente prevenga conflictos. 2. Practica escucha activa: Valida todas las perspectivas para encontrar soluciones comunes. 3. Capacita en resolución de conflictos: Entrena al equipo en habilidades de negociación y mediación. 4. Feedback regular: Establece sesiones de feedback para identificar y resolver fricciones temprano. 5. Analiza la causa raíz: Investiga las razones subyacentes de conflictos para evitar su repetición. Estas acciones transforman conflictos en oportunidades de aprendizaje y mejora del equipo.

Comunicación oportuna, seguimiento cercano y estar dispuesto a recibir feedback de tu equipo, permite que como líder puedas indentificar de forma temprana los conflictos que se generar en la interacción social de tu equipo. Sé proactivo, escucha con atención y genuinamente preocúpate por el desarrollo y bienestar de tu equipo. El estado de ánimo de tu equipo refleja la efectividad y capacidad de escucha de su líder. Que tú seas el ejemplo de escucha, comunicación y apertura. Así la personalidad de tu equipo seguirá tu ejemplo.

Foster open communication and encourage team members to voice concerns constructively. As conflicts arise, intervene promptly and act as a neutral facilitator. Help team members identify the root cause of the disagreement and focus on finding solutions that benefit the project and the team as a whole. Encourage respectful dialogue and active listening to bridge communication gaps and reach mutually beneficial compromises. By addressing conflicts head-on and fostering a collaborative problem-solving environment, you can minimize disruptions and turn disagreements into opportunities for growth and stronger team dynamics.

Forming a strong team in consulting is a focused task involving a good amount of time. The main pillar is the leader who spearheads its team to achieve the desired outcomes and objectives. The next pillar is transparency and trust within the team members in its actions and approaches for consulting clients. The team members should have a clear picture of its personal growth along with the team growth and firm's growth. There should be frequent and clear communications within the team about the way in which things are unfolding and the areas which need improvement.

To build a strong consulting team: 1. Identify Core Skills: Determine essential skills for your team's success. 2. Diverse Expertise: Hire for a mix of specialties to cover all aspects of consulting. 3. Cultural Fit: Ensure new hires align with the company's values and work style. 4. Continuous Learning: Encourage ongoing education and skill development. 5. Team Dynamics: Foster collaboration and open communication among team members. 6. Leadership Development: Invest in leadership training to build future leaders from within. 7. Performance Metrics: Establish clear goals and metrics to measure success and drive improvement.

Any team to develop a strong performance culture should go through Storming, Forming, Norming, Performing. If you are tasked with growing a team, your main task will be to help the team through these stages while you watch out for dysfunctions. Ref: Five dysfunctions of a team