In my opinion to be a successful consultant you  need the following habits: 

1) Strong self-belief & persistence 
2) They LISTEN and LEARN; Good ones know what they don't know and openly admit it.  

3) They are good at building teams and recruiting 'A' caliber people 

4) They spend a lot of time talking to customers and potential customers to really understand their world and their needs 

5) They talk and network with people who have done it before! 

6) They are very good communicators and work at it 

7) They are rational risk takers 

8) They are creative