Guest Column: Notre Dame and Rutgers
(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
Sticker Shock
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
Framing Initial Meetings
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,
Scope Seep
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
The World of the All-Too-Narrow Consultant
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
Abandoning Brilliance
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
Strength and Cereal
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
Victimhood (Yet Again)
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
To Live Large, Think Big
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
Being Rich Is Not Being Wealthy
You can always create more money, but you can never create more time. The key to real wealth is the ability to create and allocate discretionary time. The freedom to work or play, laugh or sing, rejoice or grieve, as we