More Secrets of Consulting: The Consultant's Tool Kit

Rating:
Summary: Advice for all phases of a business relationship
Review: If you were to buy this book and the previous one, "Secrets of Consulting", and read them, then your next step should be to place one in each of your hip pockets. For that is the only part of being a consultant not covered in these books. Wrapped in the guise of folk wisdom, the advice given here could and should be part of a business degree. For, no matter what the circumstances and the size of the companies represented on both sides, a business deal still reduces down to individuals who trust each other enough to "like" each other in the business sense.
Truthfully, and to contradict the author, there really are no secrets to being a successful consultant. The ways to be successful are just the basic business rules that apply elsewhere, in that you need to find out what the customer really wants and deliver it at a cost that is good for you and acceptable to them. This is not easy, and the best advice is to listen hard, explore all options and most of all, be prepared to contradict the buyer when it is in their best interests. Even when it may not be in your best interests, at least in the short term. It is a fallacy and cowardly to try to follow the mantra that the customer is always right. They are not, and that is more a part of the consultant's life than any other profession. In many ways, you are being paid to tell your customers when they are not right and to do anything other than that is a moral breach of your contract. Weinberg spends a great deal of time in explaining how to deal with this critical situation and that advice hits the dime-sized target.
No one writes business advice better than Wienberg. If he ever decides to give up writing about business, he could make a career out of writing personal self-help books. It will be on my top ten books of the year list.

Rating:
Summary: Problem solving techniques for consultants
Review: If you've ever had problems in an engagement, and you've already read Secrets, read this too. Weinberg includes numerous know-yourself ideas to become a better consultant.

A common consulting mistake is to spend time on work that shouldn't be done at all, or that the the client doesn't want or doesn't value. But, it's sometimes difficult to detect those problems. Two of the tools, the Wisdom Box and the Mirror can help you address these problems.

The WIsdom Box helps you determine when you shouldn't bother doing the work. As Weinberg says, "Anything I shouldn't be doing, I shouldn't be doing. Period." Easier said than done sometimes. Weinberg helps you detect when your Wisdom Box is telling you something that you otherwise can't hear -- when you're entering a situation you shouldn't even start.

Sometimes, clients engage us to perform work they don't value. In that case, the Mirror is an asset. I used the mirror once when I was working with a management team who didn't value testing, but knew that the parent company would ask them about the testing. Instead of taking on testing for the project, I committed to help with project planning, set up testing, and look for a permanent test manager who could work the day-to-day issues. If they couldn't commit to the planning and setup work, they wouldn't actually hire anyone, but my consulting job would be complete.

With the Mirror, you completely commit to part of the project, and provide feedback to the company. You have a chance to see how the project proceeds, and if either you or the client doesn't like where you're going, you stop.

I found the patterns of consultant reactions and Weinberg's tools and suggestions for dealing with those reactions helpful. You will too.

Rating:
Summary: Very good, but a harder read than "Secrets"
Review: The original "Secrets of Consulting" is probably one of the most important books in my collection, and I had great expectations of this follow-up volume. However, where the first book focuses outwards, largely on what a consultant does, the second book focuses in, much more on what a consultant is, and to my mind makes much less comfortable reading.

Don't get me wrong. This is not in any way a bad book: it's still as well written and humorous as Weinberg's other books, and chock full of amusing stories and "laws" derived from them. Anyone involved in consulting of any sort will still get a great deal out of it. But if, like many men, you're uncomfortable talking and reading about "feelings" you may find this less easy to read.

The "Consultant's Tool Kit" of the subtitle is actually a complex metaphor. Each component of the toolkit is a metaphor for a certain aspect of your personality and personal capabilities. For example, the wishing wand is a metaphor for understanding, and being able to ask for, what you want from a professional relationship. The chapter around this metaphor first explores why most people either don't know what they want or are unable to express it, and suggests ways to make your wishes clearer. It places this in a professional context, contract negotiation, and emphasises how the personal ability to express and value your wishes will help you negotiate more successfully.

In a similar way other chapters focus on developing wisdom and new knowledge, managing time and information, being courageous with your decisions, learning how to say yes and no, understanding why you and others are in the current situation, and keeping yourself in balance, avoiding burnout and other self-destructive conditions.

These are all important not only to consultants, but to anyone trying to establish a more satisfying professional or personal life by managing problems, by self-improvement and by better handling their relationships to other people.

Weinberg could have presented much of this material in a style much closer to the earlier book, but instead chose a more introspective approach which demands a greater investment on the part of the reader. Only time will tell how this investment is repaid, but I believe it will be for me.

Rating:
Summary: Better than "Secrets of Consulting"
Review: This book is much better than the original "Secrets of Consulting". The original was released quite a while ago (re-released in paperback last year). You can tell that the author has learned a lot in the meantime, and is better at presenting it. I would have given the original three stars, maybe four. This book I give five stars. Some of my bias may be that this book is more at the level of my current software consulting experience. Some of the topics (e.g., burnout) are sorely needed right now! It is good to see good books at good prices again. If you are a consultant, at least give this title a try.

Rating:
Summary: Decent advice, but advertising is annoying
Review: Weinberg is the master of condensing useful tidbits and advice culled from other sources into readable books. So when I saw this new consulting book I immediately wanted to read it. Unfortunately he has stepped beyond the technical or managerial material that he wrote previously. The book is full of EQ (Emotional IQ) info that is better told by others, confusing acronyms, and ceaseless self promotion.

The book is a hodge-podge of self-management (EQ) and other consulting principles such as time management and contract negotiations. If you are a well-balanced individual and know yourself you may not find much new here. If you aren't - the material only scratches the surface - you'll be better off reading somethink like Dr. Phil's book, "Self Matter" and "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" combined with some NLP books.

Weinberg has given up on his "Wisdom of the Sufi's" approach to imparting advice. The previous book was full of ridiculous stories that somehow rang true. By taking himself more seriously the acronyms that he invents for the description of consulting principles eg "the yes/no medallion" come across as confusing, annoying, and pompous.

I really enjoyed weinberg's previous consulting book and was looking forward to this one. And while there is good stuff in this book - I found the blatant self-promotion a bit over the top. In every chapter he references previous books or seminars - giving away only enough information to peak the reader interest in an additional purchase. Why pay for what is essentially a thinly veiled ad?

Miscellaneous tidbits that I found useful:

Money - "the Wisdom box":
I would like to learn something new - but what I know pays too well.
When you stop learning new stuff it is time to move on because consultants only value is knowledge.
Don't disregard money - do what you love but keep a weary eye on value add

Contracts - "The Wishing Wand"
eg: don't kid yourself into thinking that contracting agencies are working on your behalf. Typically they negotiate the customer up and the contract consultant prices down.
Keeping contracts shorter can be useful

Burn-out - "Oxygen Mask"
Comes often mid-career through competence in your field (accepting too much work) and the allowing others to make choices for you - "shoulds" - see dr phil
Solution - saying no to work and leading a balanced life - see 7 principles

Conclusion - Worth checking out - but not a must have.