Does That Guy Really Bother You?

As a consultant, you get a unique array of seating arrangements.  It’s rare for a client to give their consultants a corner office with a view.  About the only corner office you’ll get is the cubicle in a high traffic area. In most cases, a consultant is seated in a...

How to Deal with Emotional Clients

I’ve usually been able to manage my emotions in business settings.  Everyone makes mistakes and I’ve always had a tolerance for that. But every once in a while, you get a client who doesn’t handle their emotions well.  And that can be contagious. It happens quite...

Consulting Skill: Dealing with Criticism

You would think, by the time we get through twelve years of primary education and four years of college, that we’d be able to deal with criticism.  After dealing with critical parents, siblings, teachers, coaches and strangers, it should be part of our DNA. But no...

Dealing with the Angry Client

Most of the clients I’ve worked with have been rational people that are easy to work with.  But I’ve had to deal with a few that were completely irate with me.  Consider the following: I once forwarded a document from our off-shore development center to a client for...