What Are They NOT Telling You?

Before getting into consulting I had a very interesting discussion with a gentleman about the profession. He had been a highly successful business consultant for years and I asked, “What do you think is the hardest thing about the work?”


He told me a story about being hired by a huge company in China (I think) that brought him in for an extended stay with all the expense that involves. He studied their situation and finally presented his recommendations, carefully thought out and researched of course.

And — nothing.


“They rejected EVERYthing I told them,” he said. Frustration and bafflement. Total waste of time, except for his sizeable fee of course. He achieved nothing but a paycheck. Finally he concluded they had hoped his work would validate their preconceived conclusions.

When that did not happen, they hired yet another professional, he heard later. How that turned out he did not know.


Nice to get paid, he said, but you want to feel like you’re getting something done as well.