Featured Consultant: Kristin Pankey

What are the primary skill sets you bring as a consultant?
I have advanced graduate training in program evaluation, research & statistical analysis, and survey methodology. Being immersed in various industries (e.g., healthcare, retail, technology, aerospace) the primary skill sets that I bring from all of those experiences as a consultant include project management, survey design, training/development, and presentation when it comes to delivering information, results or solutions to clients.

 What’s your favorite part about being a consultant?
My favorite part about being a consultant is getting to work with a lot of different companies or clients on what can sometimes be really tough situations. It is not easy work, but it can be really rewarding in the end when you've been able to deliver information and solutions to your client that are meaningful, useful and drive positive organizational change.

What do you see as the number one reason an organization should consider an external consultant?
I think that the number one reason an organization should consider bringing in an external consultant is because that person brings with them a specialized skill set and the ability to bring new and innovative ideas or perspectives based on what they've seen work (or not) before.

What do you see as the single largest difficulty organizations face?
I think the single largest difficulty that organizations face is information overload. Learning how to make sense of the information coming at them and how to use it all to make strategic, impactful business decisions is the ultimate challenge.

What fictional organization would you most want to consult for?
Pied Piper, a software start-up and data management company from the HBO show Silicon Valley. While their savvy programming skills allow them to excel in revolutionizing the way computer data is transferred and stored, they usually need quite a bit of help running the business-side of things.

If you were a consulting superhero, what would your power be and how would you use it?
If I were a consulting superhero, I would want to have the superhero power of telepathy. Through telepathic communication and perception, I would be able to communicate with and know what my client(s) were thinking. This in turn would allow me to speed up the time it takes to make decisions along the way and meet client expectations more accurately.

What do you do outside of work?
Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, yoga, knitting, sipping on craft beer or wine from local wineries, and spending time with my dog Harley. 

---