The Secrets of Consulting

"I'm having trouble because the subject keeps changing. Can you help me stay focused on one thing at a time?" I've avoided saying that the other person is changing the subject; perhaps it is something I'm doing that I don't notice. Instead of making ,my accusations, I've stated my problem.

If you as a consultant find a relatively even distribution of problems, you may hypothesize that your clients are not seeing one major problem, but it is more likely that they have been keeping up with their problems without letting any one problem get out of control.

The first line of defense is accepting that the new system will fail, possibly in several ways. When I find myself thinking, "I must have this change because I can't afford failures," then I'm in big trouble. If I can't afford some failures, a new system won't help. And neither will an old one.

Too often, consultants broadcast their ideas the moment they happen to get them, rather than the moment that's right for germination.