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Where leaping to conclusions is my primary form of forward motion.

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Flawless Consulting: How to Get Your Expertise Used (#347)
Posted: 7/23/2002; 2:37 PM by Terry Frazier
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Flawless Consulting by Peter Block is one of the better how-to books on consulting I've read. Following my theme of not looking for a job, maybe what I'm really doing is looking for many jobs. I spent a couple of years in the late 1990s working for a small consulting company, so I know how hard it is to do the job right and get paid. There are all sorts of trade-offs between:

telling the client what they want to hear so they'll pay you and telling them what they need to hear so you can do your job
getting the client to take responsibility for the project and losing control
providing a plan that looks good and one that actually works for the long term.

Block provides a well-structured book, taking you through the culture and mindset of consulting. He uses a scenario approach to make his points, and provides a variety of check-off lists and tools. He spends a good number of pages on contracting (very important) and on the 50/50 split in client/consultant responsibility that is required for success. Along the way are lots of good tips for how to handle project meetings, work corporate politics, etc.

It's a bit expensive, at $42, but I recommend it for anyone thinking seriously about doing independent consultant work.

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