When I was a strategy consultant there were only two important lessons to learn: 1. Be a manager. You are not there to be their friend. You are there because

When I was a strategy consultant there were only two important lessons to learn: 1. Be a manager. You are not there to be their friend. You are there because they are horrible and their leadership needs you to clean up the trash. If you are not there as some form of management with a title and ownership you will quickly become their bitch, which leads to my second learning. 2. Don't get sidelined. As an outsider operating under contract the problem people want you gone but cannot remove you. Their best weapon is to sideline you. If they cannot own you they will ignore you. They will rearrange their meeting schedules and ensure you are not invited. They will create and release prototypes and delivery plans without your involvement. They will write reports and opinions to their management with all kinds of complaints and fictions and you have nothing because you are out of the game.