The Manager's Pocket Guide to Using Consultants

Chapter 8

Manager as Consultant

Consultants come and go. You, as the manager, are there for the long haul. Consultants are good at various track and field events—getting things done, jumping hurdles, and vaulting themselves over bars using specialized “poles,” but you are the marathon runner, operating at high performance mile after mile after mile. How do you keep it up? By developing your own set of consulting skills, tools, and attitudes. And just like athletic prowess, consulting prowess develops and grows over time if you give it focus, dedication, and practice.

This is not a book about consulting. There are thousands of books on that topic already. However, I would be remiss if I did not point out the fact that you, as an experienced manager, ...