Here in the United States, the presidential election cycle gives Americans the opportunity to publicly debate which experiences provide the best training for great leaders

For example, a recent New York Times article by David Leonhardt, “Consultant Nation,” asks whether Mitt Romney’s consulting background enhances his qualifications as a potential president, particularly since Romney himself cites his track record with the Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Co. to show that he knows how to “solve problems.’’ But whether we’re talking about Romney or not, it’s important to ask whether consulting provides good preparation for leadership.

Let’s start by looking at three characteristics of successful consultants and determine whether these would be the same or different for successful leaders:

·         DEEP ANALYTICAL SKILLS. Effective consultants can usually crunch through large amounts of data to identify patterns and opportunities. Good leaders also need analytical skills to help them sort through divergent views and, whenever possible, make data-based decisions. However, leaders also need to appreciate the limitations of data and have the courage to follow their instincts when the data is inconclusive or just doesn’t feel right.

·         OBJECTIVITY AND DETACHMENT. Consultants need to remain objective and follow the data. They must be able to deliver bad news without feeling guilty about the consequences. Leaders also have to make tough calls that can negatively affect people—but they must do so with a genuine sense of compassion. Employees can accept bad news, but they don’t want to work for people who don’t care.

·         ACCOUNTABILITY. Most consultants say that their job is to get results. But in practice this often means identifying what the client needs to do to get results. In other words, most consultants take accountability for the quality of their recommendations, not for their implementation. Effective leaders, however, must be accountable for the entire process, from recommendations to results.

While consulting may be a useful background for an organizational leader, it’s certainly not sufficient. In fact, if consultants-turned-managers don’t go beyond these core consulting characteristics, they’re likely to fail.

So if you’re looking to make a career shift from consulting to management, think about whether you can combine intuition with your analytical ability, compassion with your toughness, and implementation with the strength of your ideas.

***Ron Ashkenas is a managing partner at Schaffer Consulting and a coauthor of The GE Work-Out and The Boundaryless Organization. His latest book is Simply Effective.