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Consulting Skill: Know the Client’s Business

Mar 15, 2012 | Client relations

Over the years, I’ve seen various levels of client satisfaction with their consultants. Some consultants make themselves so indispensable that the client tries to hire them as a full-time employee. On the other end of the spectrum, I’ve seen clients ask for a...

The 5 Biggest Lies In House of Lies

Mar 12, 2012 | Getting in to Consulting

A few years ago, I made a comment to a co-worker about an episode of the TV series Grey’s Anatomy. He quickly cut me off saying that his sister-in-law is a doctor at a hospital and it’s nothing like the way they portray the life of a doctor on that show. TV is not...

The Need for Control

Mar 8, 2012 | Career Management

I’ve always hated control freaks. I’ve known and worked with quite a few. Maybe because of my experiences with them, I’ve always tried to resist the need for control. But as a consulting project manager, it helps to be both a control freak and an order freak. I...

Put the Phone Down and Listen

Mar 5, 2012 | Communication

I’ve had to sit through my share of meetings to which I never should have been invited; and many meetings where I was only necessary for a minute or two, to provide an update. It’s one of the most infuriating things I endure as a consultant. Sitting in a 1-hour – or...

Are You Contagious?

Mar 1, 2012 | Career Management

Think back to people you’ve worked or gone to school with. I’ll venture to bet that you can remember one that you labeled Debbie Downer. Despite the feminine name, it can apply to either gender. You may have even sung the sad trombone that was made famous in the...

Professionalism in Consulting

Feb 26, 2012 | Career Management

I’ve commented in my book and in this blog about working with difficult clients (see The Client Jerk). One concern I’ve had about focusing on this topic too much is that readers – especially those who are just considering a career in consulting – will walk away with...