Guys and gals,What in your experience would you say are the top ten qualities required to be a successful consultant. Please do not google it!

Top 3 skills:1) PowerPoint2) Ability to bullshit3) Brown-nosingCorrect me if I'm wrong.

4) If you're female - ability to sleep with as many partners as possIBM = I've Bonked Most

This is an interesting thread, notwithstanding its rather childish intent. Consultants (ex MBB though) are mainly good and become better at the following things:1. Develop ppt slides by the bucket load2. Ability to state the obvious and repackage it to sound original3. Inability to see the bigger picture4. The ability to say anything to a client whilst including the words: efficiency, effectiveness, governance, holistic design...we've all heard the jargon even if we are not entirely sure what it means.Out of the professionals I chat to (doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, bankers) consultant probably are the least noteworthy. zBZB

I would not consider consultants to be 'professionals'. it's just a job like any other, no matter how much that hurts our self-image.

Indeed, it is a job most of us do because we don't have a profession and it is the next best thing we could think of.

You guys have deviated from what the question is asking. Can you please focus on the qualities and stop wrangling about whether a consultant is a professional or not.

I'd say one of the qualities is the ability to keep a discussion on track...

...and bill clients constructively (which is another definition of professional), which keeps the conversation on track and provides Anon with a top ten quality.How are you all bearing up by the way? Haven't been on this site for a while. How many more do we need?...ahh numerate skills, thats another.As Paxo would say...COME ON!!!! That was a starter for ten. Youre supposed to be consultants (or aspring consultants). I must hurry you.

Logical ThinkingProblem SolvingCollaborative WorkingPresent Well

In all truth I can't believe you asked for a top ten. Unless you would say adaptable. I think consultants have so many skills, that it would be difficult to mention them all. Unless you have the specifics of industry, consultancy company etc. There are some consultants that do have an abundance of sills, they aren't all of us though!!As far as the post above goes I really enjoy what I do. I make enough money to pay my way and more. So I don't really care if it's classed as a profession, which is a dumb comment but anyway.Good luck to the consultants that actually have skills!!! More than 10 that is!!!

demonstrated earlier, the readiness to order other people what to do without adding any content..

Sounds like you speak from direct experience, RC.

judging by all the posts on this site, i'd say a pre-requisite of being a consultant must be to be called "Anon" - how many of them can there possibly be?

High in the top 10 must beability to make top 10 listsinterest in contributing to forums with the word consultant in the titlethe ability to periodically misspell aspiring for asspring to ensure much hilarityability to ensure hilarity

Where can I get myself an ass-spring? They sound great for getting up our of my chair really quickly.

Trying to inject some seriousness here, for me the top skill is being personable, including:1) ability to network2) able to talk to staff members at all levels in an organisation without brown-nosing or being condescending3) ability to 'think on your feet'4) ability to absorb lots of information and assimilate it quickly5) have an opinion6) confidence not arrogance