Consulting Philosophy

For those consulting to small businesses, and I mean primarily those that are owned and/or run by the founder or founder's family, I want to extend my sincere admiration and also deepest sympathies. This is one of the very toughest markets

(This is a guest column from Dan Coughlin, a member of my Mentor Hall of Fame. You can find the original on his blog. You can find the Hall of Fame here.) September 23, 2007 Rutgers and Notre Dame: The Story of

I hear occasionally that a buyer has invited a consultant to submit a proposal, but responds with, “It’s just what we talked about, and I understand the potential, but the fee is a sticker shock for us and we just

Here are some questions to ask yourself which can determine whether you have an opportunity to develop a relationship rapidly or whether you have to reeducate the buyer. If you're not certain or too anxious to "deliver" your pitch,

We hear about "Scope Creep" repeatedly, meaning those demands by clients which are outside of the project objectives and which we choose to fulfill out of fear or stupidity, thereby eroding the profit margin. One very large consulting outfit I

I heard a priest speak in church today, standing in the aisle without notes, alternatively citing Thomas Aquinas, a court case of ten years ago, Einstein's writings on the curvature of the universe, and the reasons to suspect that God

Today’s Wall Street Journal excerpted a piece from Time Magazine that’s frightening: “How High-IQ Kids Are Neglected in School” details how U.S. schools spend $8 billion annually on educating mentally retarded students, but only about $800 million on high-achieving

I was staying at a Marriott where a client had placed me, in the middle of the country somewhere. The club floor was quite nice, and I was having some hors d’oeuvres and a drink when a fellow walked in

A group in Africa asked if I would speak at what they claim is the first multi-national consulting conference they were trying to hold. I told them I would, that the fee was $25,000, payable in advance, due at least

If you want to live large, you have to think big. That’s irrefragable. As consultants, we can’t simply respond to a prospect’s arbitrary request for an alternative. We have to seek the true objective and provide better alternatives. If there is as much