Most of us are not pure introverts or extroverts. We exist somewhere on the continuum in between the two polar extremes. The highest paid consultant in the world today is Alan Greenspan who charges $120,000 per day for his time. He’s a real extroverted party animal. You can check Bing or Google and find thousands of pictures of his public rowdiness and table-dancing exploits. Or can you?
The vast majority of skills required to be a successful consultant are learned skills. We can easily learn how to:
but it is MUCH harder to change who we are.
Ask yourself these questions and see which one of the 5 consultants ( A through E ) you resemble most.
|
Consultant |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
|
I am a catalyst and instigator and it draws people in. |
Agree |
Agree |
Agree |
Disagree |
Disagree |
|
I am successful when people focus on me, believe me and I am prominent. |
Agree |
Disagree |
Agree |
Disagree |
Disagree |
|
I am skilled in handling people dynamics and interactions. |
Agree |
Agree |
Agree |
Disagree |
Disagree |
|
I like to be involved in maximum activity. Bustle is good, frenzy even better. |
Agree |
Agree |
Disagree |
Agree |
Disagree |
|
I make new friends with clients easily. |
Agree |
Agree |
Disagree |
Agree |
Disagree |
|
I am reserved around new people. |
Disagree |
Disagree |
Agree |
Disagree |
Agree |
|
I don’t like to be the centre of attention or focus. |
Disagree |
Agree |
Agree |
Agree |
Agree |
|
I don’t like to socialize outside work with my clients. Client lunches are full-on formal occasions for me. |
Disagree |
Disagree |
Disagree |
Agree |
Agree |
|
I work and think best on my own. |
Disagree |
Agree |
Agree |
Agree |
Agree |
|
I do not require client interaction to be fulfilled in my role. |
Disagree |
Disagree |
Disagree |
Agree |
Agree |
|
Target |
3 |
5 |
8 |
5 |
7 |
|
Score |
100% Extravert |
70% Extravert |
50% Extravert |
70% Introvert |
100% Introvert |
The desired characteristics of highly successful consultants are in blue. The Ambivert is the best all-round consultant with the ability to attain/retain focus from the client when required but still retains the capability to think creatively on their own without constant group input. If you scored high on the extravert scale we also have a role for you. It’s called sales.
Infinite Shades of Grey 