The most underrated Skill in Consulting (hint: it’s not technical)
- Claas
- Aug 6, 2025
- 4 min read
Let’s start with a confession: I’m not a great listener. In fact, if you asked my colleagues or my family they’d probably tell you I’m often the one jumping in too early, finishing people’s sentences, or shifting the conversation toward solving before the other person has even finished explaining the problem. Impatience? Guilty. A tendency to rush to conclusions? Definitely. And yet, here I am writing about listening as the most underrated skill in consulting.
Why? Because even though it’s not my natural strength, I’ve learned, sometimes the hard way, just how crucial it is. Not just for building trust, but for actually delivering the right results.
Why listening matters (even if you're not great at it)
One thing that makes listening especially difficult is when you’re already good at what you do. As consultants, we’re often brought in as experts and people expect us to have answers. And when you’ve seen a pattern a hundred times before, the instinct is to jump straight to the conclusion. It’s easy to assume you know better. But that’s when real listening matters most, because that’s also when you risk missing something important.
Even when you’re confident you’ve seen it all, listening can surprise you. A new angle. A nuance you hadn’t considered. A shift in the client’s real priorities. That’s the kind of input you only get if you leave space for it.
Over the years, I’ve tried to train myself to listen better. Some days are better than others. But what I’ve realized is that there are two kinds of listening in consulting:
Listening to understand what your client really values: their goals, concerns, and the context behind their requests.
Listening by creating space: not interrupting, not rushing to fill silence, but giving your client time to think and talk freely.
I like to believe I’m quite strong at the first. I care deeply about what matters to my clients. I observe what they prioritize and how they define success. But that second kind of listening? Giving someone the space to talk without steering them too soon? That’s still a work in progress for me.
And to be fully transparent - it’s not just a business thing. In my private life, I often struggle with listening even more. At home, I don’t have the structure of a client meeting or the discipline of a workshop to slow me down. The impatience that I can keep somewhat under control at work tends to take the lead in personal conversations. I catch myself interrupting, finishing sentences, or solving problems that no one actually asked me to solve. Sound familiar?
Have you ever caught yourself mentally drafting your reply while someone else is still talking? I do. Often. But when I resist that urge, even for a few moments, I find that clients often reveal what really matters near the end of their sentence, not the beginning.
Listening builds trust, even in small moments
I still remember a story from a leadership training I attended. One of the coaches, a former CEO, shared what he called one of the most formative experiences of his career. He had spent a year abroad, leading a team while working in his second language. Later, one of his managers told him something surprising: the team had actually been more motivated when he spoke less fluently.
Why? Because he was a better listener.
Operating in another language forced him to slow down, pay closer attention, and resist the urge to jump in too quickly. He listened more carefully, responded with more focus, and let people finish their thoughts. For him, it was a revelation. Not a new leadership model, just the unexpected power of being fully present.
And our clients know when they’re being truly heard. Sometimes it’s not about the formal workshop or the structured interview, it’s about those informal conversations in between. A comment over coffee. A hesitation during a briefing. A moment of candor when they realize you’re not just waiting for your turn to speak.
Some of the most useful insights I’ve ever discovered came from comments I almost missed, because I was already thinking about the next topic. I’m still learning to catch those moments before they slip by.
Better listening = better solutions
When we listen well, we solve better. We avoid answering the wrong question. We notice misalignment before it becomes conflict. We understand not just what the client wants, but why and how they’ll judge success.
Have you ever delivered a solution that was technically perfect, but didn’t land? I have. And every time, it was because I was focused on the delivery, not on how it connected to what the client really cared about.
So What’s the Fix?
For me, it’s become a daily practice.
In meetings, I now ask myself: “Did I talk more than I listened?”
When a colleague pauses, I count three seconds before I speak (still working on that).
I try to ask questions I don’t already know the answer to.
And here's a question for you: What kind of listener are you? Do you create space for your colleagues to open up, or do you find yourself, like me, rushing to the finish line a little too early?
Conclusion: imperfect listening is still worth practicing
You don’t have to be the perfect listener to benefit from listening more. I’m proof of that. While I may never be the most patient person in the room, I’ve learned to pay closer attention to what’s said and what’s not.
Whether you're in a boardroom or at your dinner table, listening makes a difference. And in consulting, that difference often defines the real impact of your work. So next time you walk into a meeting, don’t just bring your slides bring your ears. Even if you’re still figuring out how to use them.
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