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As a successful consultant for several decades, I played several major roles: 1. Designated Teller of Hard Truths. I operated outside each client's organizatio

As a successful consultant for several decades, I played several major roles: 1. Designated Teller of Hard Truths. I operated outside each client's organizational hierarchy and internal factions. By design, I was expendable and not seen as having a particular bias or “dog in the hunt.” That made it easier to say the difficult things that needed saying. E.g. "Your product...is not good and not competitive." "Competitor X is eating your lunch because A, B, and C. You need to get your act together and admit that those are important issues." 2. Bringer of News from the Outside World. Large organizations become exceptionally insular and self-referential. Everyone inside has to speak the house jargon and more-or-less toe the company line. I could break that spell, bringing in new concepts, perspectives, language, and attitudes. Over the years as a tech analyst, I introduced object-oriented programming, CAD/CAM/CAE, distributed computing, Unix, “Big Iron Unix,” the Internet, grid and clustered computing, web services, standardization, buy-not-build strategies, Linux and open source, virtualization, automated provisioning and orchestration, cloud computing, blade servers, scale-out architectures, and DevOps. Many of these were initially unfamiliar or viewed with disbelief and hostility. I also was a conduit for shifting customer expectations and appetites, market attitudes, and cultural vibes—offering a “voice of the customer” or “voice of partners” when internal teams wouldn't otherwise get a clean, unfiltered read on what was happening in the world outside their walls. 3. Family Counselor. Surprisingly often, I told organizations what other people inside the same organization were thinking, saying, or doing (and what customers or partners thought of that). The degree of insularity, siloing, and parochialism in large organizations is hard to overstate. I was almost like a counselor, helping internal teams see, understand, and appreciate their peers, and put what they were doing into a larger perspective that would have otherwise been overlooked. I did a lot of other things, but these were my largest, most systematic, and most recurring patterns of "adding value."

zwnow 1y ago
[flagged]
- actionfromafar 1y ago
  It can be that but it can also be, that nobody wanted to listen to these employees venting. But when a third party voice lifts those same concerns, it can be a wake-up call. "Oh, maybe that <insert things> is important after all."
  - zwnow 1y ago
    Venting can also get an employee laid off so there's that...
    - phkahler 1y ago
      Right, so a good consultant won't report an individual vent, but will report if there is a general sentiment among a large number of people.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- csours 1y ago
  > 3. Family Counselor. Surprisingly often, I told organizations what other people inside the same organization were thinking, saying, or doing (and what customers or partners thought of that). The degree of insularity, siloing, and parochialism in large organizations is hard to overstate. I was almost like a counselor, helping internal teams see, understand, and appreciate their peers, and put what they were doing into a larger perspective that would have otherwise been overlooked. One of the most famous counselling analogies is "Throw the ball so the other person can catch it". Some people are bad at communication - they can't hear the message from the other side, or they can't deliver a message so that the other side can hear what is intended. For example some people may tend to catastrophize, or blow things out of proportion.
- pydry 1y ago
  Probably those same employees would have answered similarly had management had the competence to ask them first.
  - tharkun__ 1y ago
    Not necessarily. Especially in large orgs, there's a lot of stuff going on that will make employees not speak the truth even if asked. Even if the bad management has potentially been replaced, history is still on the side of "keeping your mouth shut just in case". And the kind of trust from your employees that you need for them to answer you honestly is really easy to loose, especially the larger the company gets. Those same employees will bitch about it all to each other all the time. But mostly nobody will actually ever speak up.
    - pydry 1y ago
      >Not necessarily. Especially in large orgs, there's a lot of stuff going on that will make employees not speak the truth even if asked. "Manager X is a fucking incompetent who should neve....ohh, wait youre going to tell him I said this arent you? Whoops!" Yeah, not happening. Theyll be just as circumspect around consultants. So, it's the truths which they would have told anyone who asked which consultants are getting.
  - bongoman37 1y ago
    [dead]
- unethical_ban 1y ago
  There is a fine line between facilitating communication and gossiping. A good friend and a good employee stays just on the polite side of that line.
  - zwnow 1y ago
    A good employee just calls out bullshit. Imagine being a little corporate sheep not criticizing their own company openly.
    - MonkeyClub 1y ago
      > A good employee just calls out bullshit. That's a soon to be ex employee. Personal anecdata from a software team in a non-software company: New project idea comes in. Developer asks for outline of specifications. Management replies with nebulous desires. Developer insists over half a dozen "planning" meetings, where desires are mentioned but requirements not defined, despite all petitions and cajoling. Management fires developer for not being a team player. From what I hear, that project has yet to happen a year after the aforementioned events. And that's without criticizing, only with explaining the value of specifications before developing business critical applications. So, yeah, employers get what they pay for: either sheep or conscientious employees, but can't have both.
      - zwnow 1y ago
        Employers want sheeps that's the whole issue.
    - tinuviel 1y ago
      For most people, publicly criticizing your own company shows your disloyalty that could get you fired. Imagine getting fired over things you have little control over when you are responsible for bringing food to your little children and aging parents.
      - zwnow 1y ago
        Children is a you problem you take full responsibility for. I won't navigate myself into these kinda issues given I won't force people into a rapidly dying world.
- jonathaneunice 1y ago
  Snitching? That’s an odd flex. I wasn’t ratting people out—I was translating. Reminding siloed teams why other groups mattered, why customers cared, and why that business still went ca-ching. If that feels like snitching, maybe the problem isn’t the messenger.
  - ghaff 1y ago
    Not to name names you "you do realize other group is working on this issue and you might like to talk to them."
mathattack 1y ago
This! In many large companies, there are non-aggression pacts. “I don’t air your dirty laundry so you don’t air mine.” The best consultants comment on the Emperor’s wardrobe, or lack thereof. And they do it in a way that makes everyone pleased that the logjam is released. And they can only get away with it by being temporary. And for all the complaining of consultant bill rates, independent consultants have a lot of overhead to cover. (Sales, taxes, insurance, downtime, legal…)
- prepend 1y ago
  In my experience 99% of consulting is fully in the business of telling whatever emperor or micro emperor with budget authority that their clothes are just beautiful the way they are. Very few billable hours are people like GP. But maybe Im unlucky. I consulted for about 10 years and enjoyed building stuff, but I didn’t like how the key metric was “is the client happy? will they extend?” And frequently the client is happy with what is not best. Now I strive to work in organizations that don’t use or rely on consultants very much. I actually think a health metric for organizations is having low levels of consultants.
  - ghc 1y ago
    In my experience there's a pretty fundamental difference between business consultants and consultants who "build stuff". I've done both and had similar experience to both your experience and GPs experience, but I'd put it down to the expected role of the consultant, rather than the customer.
ghaff 1y ago
Hi Jonathan! I agree with all that :-) Might just add that you can make time to do things that just aren't on the day-to-day calendars of employees.
- jonathaneunice 1y ago
  Gordon gets it—no surprise. We fought from the same foxholes. I stepped out of that world; he’s still in it, still an ace.
panarky 1y ago
Also ... Bringer of news from your own employees - "I had no idea we were setting prices by just adding 70% to each item's cost, regardless of competition or inventory level or a new version about to obsolete the one that already has six years of supply" Explainer of things that should be obvious - "95% of transactions generated by Facebook ads lose money and the DC is already at capacity filling unprofitable orders, so spending even more on Facebook ads is not going to fix your cash flow problem"
bsoles 1y ago
> Designated Teller of Hard Truths. As a small time consultant, as a side hussle, I tell my customers that their complete website like an LMS (learning management system) system cannot be done for $1000 on Upwork.

zwnow 1y ago

[flagged]

actionfromafar 1y ago
It can be that but it can also be, that nobody wanted to listen to these employees venting. But when a third party voice lifts those same concerns, it can be a wake-up call. "Oh, maybe that <insert things> is important after all."
- zwnow 1y ago
  Venting can also get an employee laid off so there's that...
  - phkahler 1y ago
    Right, so a good consultant won't report an individual vent, but will report if there is a general sentiment among a large number of people.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
csours 1y ago
> 3. Family Counselor. Surprisingly often, I told organizations what other people inside the same organization were thinking, saying, or doing (and what customers or partners thought of that). The degree of insularity, siloing, and parochialism in large organizations is hard to overstate. I was almost like a counselor, helping internal teams see, understand, and appreciate their peers, and put what they were doing into a larger perspective that would have otherwise been overlooked. One of the most famous counselling analogies is "Throw the ball so the other person can catch it". Some people are bad at communication - they can't hear the message from the other side, or they can't deliver a message so that the other side can hear what is intended. For example some people may tend to catastrophize, or blow things out of proportion.
pydry 1y ago
Probably those same employees would have answered similarly had management had the competence to ask them first.
- tharkun__ 1y ago
  Not necessarily. Especially in large orgs, there's a lot of stuff going on that will make employees not speak the truth even if asked. Even if the bad management has potentially been replaced, history is still on the side of "keeping your mouth shut just in case". And the kind of trust from your employees that you need for them to answer you honestly is really easy to loose, especially the larger the company gets. Those same employees will bitch about it all to each other all the time. But mostly nobody will actually ever speak up.
  - pydry 1y ago
    >Not necessarily. Especially in large orgs, there's a lot of stuff going on that will make employees not speak the truth even if asked. "Manager X is a fucking incompetent who should neve....ohh, wait youre going to tell him I said this arent you? Whoops!" Yeah, not happening. Theyll be just as circumspect around consultants. So, it's the truths which they would have told anyone who asked which consultants are getting.
- bongoman37 1y ago
  [dead]
unethical_ban 1y ago
There is a fine line between facilitating communication and gossiping. A good friend and a good employee stays just on the polite side of that line.
- zwnow 1y ago
  A good employee just calls out bullshit. Imagine being a little corporate sheep not criticizing their own company openly.
  - MonkeyClub 1y ago
    > A good employee just calls out bullshit. That's a soon to be ex employee. Personal anecdata from a software team in a non-software company: New project idea comes in. Developer asks for outline of specifications. Management replies with nebulous desires. Developer insists over half a dozen "planning" meetings, where desires are mentioned but requirements not defined, despite all petitions and cajoling. Management fires developer for not being a team player. From what I hear, that project has yet to happen a year after the aforementioned events. And that's without criticizing, only with explaining the value of specifications before developing business critical applications. So, yeah, employers get what they pay for: either sheep or conscientious employees, but can't have both.
    - zwnow 1y ago
      Employers want sheeps that's the whole issue.
  - tinuviel 1y ago
    For most people, publicly criticizing your own company shows your disloyalty that could get you fired. Imagine getting fired over things you have little control over when you are responsible for bringing food to your little children and aging parents.
    - zwnow 1y ago
      Children is a you problem you take full responsibility for. I won't navigate myself into these kinda issues given I won't force people into a rapidly dying world.
jonathaneunice 1y ago
Snitching? That’s an odd flex. I wasn’t ratting people out—I was translating. Reminding siloed teams why other groups mattered, why customers cared, and why that business still went ca-ching. If that feels like snitching, maybe the problem isn’t the messenger.
- ghaff 1y ago
  Not to name names you "you do realize other group is working on this issue and you might like to talk to them."

mathattack 1y ago

This! In many large companies, there are non-aggression pacts. “I don’t air your dirty laundry so you don’t air mine.” The best consultants comment on the Emperor’s wardrobe, or lack thereof. And they do it in a way that makes everyone pleased that the logjam is released. And they can only get away with it by being temporary. And for all the complaining of consultant bill rates, independent consultants have a lot of overhead to cover. (Sales, taxes, insurance, downtime, legal…)

prepend 1y ago
In my experience 99% of consulting is fully in the business of telling whatever emperor or micro emperor with budget authority that their clothes are just beautiful the way they are. Very few billable hours are people like GP. But maybe Im unlucky. I consulted for about 10 years and enjoyed building stuff, but I didn’t like how the key metric was “is the client happy? will they extend?” And frequently the client is happy with what is not best. Now I strive to work in organizations that don’t use or rely on consultants very much. I actually think a health metric for organizations is having low levels of consultants.
- ghc 1y ago
  In my experience there's a pretty fundamental difference between business consultants and consultants who "build stuff". I've done both and had similar experience to both your experience and GPs experience, but I'd put it down to the expected role of the consultant, rather than the customer.

ghaff 1y ago

Hi Jonathan! I agree with all that :-) Might just add that you can make time to do things that just aren't on the day-to-day calendars of employees.

jonathaneunice 1y ago
Gordon gets it—no surprise. We fought from the same foxholes. I stepped out of that world; he’s still in it, still an ace.

panarky 1y ago

Also ... Bringer of news from your own employees - "I had no idea we were setting prices by just adding 70% to each item's cost, regardless of competition or inventory level or a new version about to obsolete the one that already has six years of supply" Explainer of things that should be obvious - "95% of transactions generated by Facebook ads lose money and the DC is already at capacity filling unprofitable orders, so spending even more on Facebook ads is not going to fix your cash flow problem"

bsoles 1y ago

> Designated Teller of Hard Truths. As a small time consultant, as a side hussle, I tell my customers that their complete website like an LMS (learning management system) system cannot be done for $1000 on Upwork.