Do you know what the most important skill is as a consultant? We spoke to Deloitte’s Ita Langton to find out.
In professional services firms, consultancy will be a major part of the organisation. Naturally, consulting partners play a very important role in that.
But what exactly does a consulting partner do? What kind of skills do they need? It can be difficult to know what a particular job is really like unless you’re in it. However, talking to someone else in the role can offer a pretty good insight.
Siliconrepublic.com spoke to Ita Langton, a consulting partner in Deloitte, to find out more about her job, the skills she needs and what it’s like working at the multinational firm.
Langton said that when it comes to her job, there is no typical day, but there are a few consistent elements.
“I spend time with our clients, with our teams, and also look into the future in terms of what are the challenges that our clients are going to face,” she said.
Langton also told us about the skills she uses on a daily basis, with listening being the most important one of all: “Listening to our clients, listening to the challenges that they face and the agendas that they wish to advance.
“Also, listening to our teams, listening to how they’re getting on working with clients, and also hearing their ideas in terms of how we can do things differently.”
She said the hardest part of her job is having to consider all of the technology solutions and innovations that are out there and choosing the right one for her clients’ needs.
Langton added: “What I love about working in Deloitte is that we work in teams.”
She said that you should always consider if you’re the right person to be doing a particular job, or if other people on the team can support you. “You’re not on your own.”
