The Quiet Power of Community: The Most Underrated C in Consulting
Community is the most overlooked C in 4 Cs of Consulting—The one that rarely shouts for attention, but quietly sustains us in ways we don’t always see. This is a call to act: Consultants using their resources and craft to make a real-world difference.
My invitation to you to start a movement
I honestly didn't know how I could write this article, this invitation to the consulting community, without sounding preachy. This isn’t about grand gestures or moral high ground. It’s about something quieter. Something smaller, but no less important. It’s about Community, the fourth and often forgotten C of the 4 Cs of Consulting. The one that rarely shouts for attention, but quietly sustains us in ways we don’t always see.
This isn’t a call to save the world. It’s a reminder that we’re part of it. What we do, how we contribute, especially beyond our billable hours, matters.
And because Community is the quietest of the 4 Cs, I’m going to try to give it a voice here.
Community holds the fabric of society together
If the 4 Cs of Consulting were siblings, Community would be the quietly grounded middle child. A little overlooked, maybe wearing a cardigan knitted from recycled shoelaces, but somehow holds the whole fabric of society together.
Community deserves more attention. Consulting isn’t just a job, it’s a ripple. And those ripples should reach beyond the client site, past the practice party, over the firms' performance review, and into the community around you.
The 4 Cs (And Why You Need All of Them)
To build a satisfying, sustainable consulting career, all four Cs matter:
- The Consultant: Know yourself (and preferably like yourself).
- Colleagues: Collaborate. Even with that guy from Finance.
- Clients: Serve with insight and integrity, not just pretty slides.
- Community: Connect beyond the project. Your work isn’t just about you.
They’re all hard. But Community, the least demanding, often shapes you in the most meaningful ways.
No Strings. No Hashtags
The most valuable contributions to community come with no expectation of return.
No “give to get.” No veiled business case disguised as “community engagement.” Just honest, authentic support.
Community groups, especially the ones too small to make your firm’s social media feed, matter. They matter to real people, animals or the environment, in real ways, every day.
And while they may not give back in headlines or logos, they quietly give back in ways you couldn’t possibly imagine that relate to meaning, belonging, perspective, and #42 (seen as “the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything” in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.)
Consulting Has the Resources — Let’s Use Them
Yes, cost of living is tight. But consulting remains one of the more privileged corners of the economy. It’s well-resoruced, well paid, well-networked, and relatively stable.
Which means I think most of us are in a position to help our community in some way.
That doesn’t mean giving up every weekend to volunteer. It might be offering a few hours of mentoring, diverting your firm resources to a cause, giving some of your hard earned cash, designing a simple process map for a local non-profit, connecting someone to a grant opportunity, or helping a community group plan their next event. Maybe it’s coaching a junior sports team, setting up a website for a local initiative, or spending a morning planting trees in your neighbourhood.
It’s not about delivering scale. It’s about intent.
It’s Good for Your Craft — and Your Mind
Supporting your community quietly strengthens the first C: The Consultant. It helps you grow in ways that aren’t always obvious at first.
It can shift your perspective. It may remind you that your value isn’t tied to utilisation or charge codes. That what you know, and how you show up, can make a real difference to people, animals or your environment.
A Small Ask: One Thing, Once a Quarter
If every consultant did one meaningful thing for their local community the world over, imagine the collective impact.
So, here is my ask. Support something local. Offer your skills. Share your resources. Bring others with you. And do it without a press release or a photo op. Pick a cause. Something that matters to you. Maybe something your firm would normally overlook. Maybe something your team could support together.
Because just like bees, our strength isn’t in the individual action, it’s in the collective impact we can all make together.
Start small. Stay consistent. Be generous.
☕ Join the movement. Tell me what cause you’re backing — and I’ll back you.
