I write regular guest posts on a blog called Consultive Magazine, sharing some of my experiences from too many years in the consulting industry. Here’s a digest of my posts.
[19/11/2010] Beware the inadvertent commitment
We’ve all been there – the client starts a sentence with “While you’re working on the widget design, please could you also…” and at clocking out time you’re working on a widget supplier brief while everyone else is catching up on Eastenders.
As consultants, its natural to want to be agreeable to client requests. Happy clients are much better at paying invoices than unhappy clients. But saying “yes” to every request is ultimately a recipe for your own failure and not delivering on your contracted commitments is a quick way to turn happy clients into unhappy clients. …more…
[15/10/2010] The lighter side of day one
Everyone has something they look for on the first day of an assignment. For me it’s quite process driven – I want to know if I can get an ice cold diet coke (inputs) and whether the toilets are clean (outputs). …more…
[24/09/2010] Hitting the ground running on day one of your assignments
I recently started an engagement at a new client and was amazed to arrive on the appointed first day and find a desk, a PC setup for me with a user account, email, printers, etc and an access card. By 10:00am I had been taken on a tour of the facility, done the obligatory health and safety briefing, been shown the coffee facilities and met a few of my key contacts. By 10:15am I was in front of Outlook and setting up meetings for the rest of the week. …more…
