My first career at IBM taught me how to be a good consultant. That’s where I worked hand-in-hand with customers to plan and install large mainframe systems in cavernous rooms to support their business. Lead times were often 6 months to a year, and downtime was not an...
My daughter just got what I call her first “adult job.” I define that as the full-time job that takes what she has learned so far and applies it to what may lead to a fulfilling career. While talking with her about it, I realized how important those high school and...
As a consultant, my name is impacted by the leaders with whom I work. That’s because as a consultant I have no power to act. I do have influence based on my knowledge and skills, and the point of hiring someone like me, who is outside of the organization, is to get an...
One of the biggest traps you can walk into as a consultant is getting sucked into your client’s culture. Especially if it is somewhat dysfunctional (as many are, otherwise why would they need us?) we can find our tolerance slowly rising until at some point we are...
