1. Never give up, no matter what happens, don’t give up, only for major circumstances. A good consultant fulfills his duty with respect to his client.
2. Be self-reliant, be independent, proactive, and with a positive mindset.
3. Change the game: propose something new, something different, something constructive where everyone wins. Do not be afraid to break with the established always respecting the opinion of others and accepting criticism.
4. Know what you know. If you do not know something, say it, you can learn it over time. It’s impossible to know all things in this world; there is always space for learning. Take ideas from others, accept criticism, and learn. Have an open mind and have humility.
5. Trust your gut, so you can make decisions spontaneously. Sometimes, you have to be able to take decisions quickly. You just have to follow your gut and choose. With experience, practice and mistakes you also learn.
6. Own the conversation: propose ideas and expose your opinions in a constructive and objective way. Don’t have that need to please everyone with your ideas, your ideas may or may not like, but they are your ideas. But, you have to always respect the others.
7. Be calm, even in chaos: this is the one I like the most. You have to know how to stay calm all times, even in situations of crisis and stress. I’ll share a special article about how I managed this part that has led me to be calm almost always in the most difficult contexts. Remember that a good leader must know how to keep the manners and a good consultant also keeps the composure in front of his client. It does not help to lose control, although you have to impose when you have to do it.
8. Leverage language and have charisma. Take care of your nonverbal communication and keep eye contact.
9. Save some story. Sometimes it is better not to expose all your arguments. It is better to save some stories for later to convince even more about your ideas. You always have that element of surprise.
10. Don’t be a tourist, or a spectator: participate, make decisions and take actions in your life.