Three Good Books for Consultants
Add comment October 6th, 2009
I continue to run into folks who find themselves encouraged to launching a consulting career by their former employer and what is proving to be a very deep recession. Here are three books I recommend to them to help get some perspective on the career they now find themselves in.
- David Maister “The Trusted Advisor” (blog at http://davidmaister.com/blog/ )
- http://www.amazon.com/Trusted-Advisor-David-H-Maister/dp/0743212347
- Key quote “Good business development is a sincere interest in clients and their problems, and spending time to be helpful to them.”
- Gerald Weinberg “Secrets of Consulting” (blog at http://secretsofconsulting.blogspot.com/ )
- http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Consulting-Giving-Getting-Successfully/dp/0932633013
- Key advice: on average spend two days a week doing billable work, two days getting work, and one day getting better.
- Ford Harding “Rain Making” (blog at http://www.hardingco.com/blog/ )
I have a related blog post from October of last year on “Customer Development for a Consulting Practice in a Downturn” and another one from July of 2007 on “Networking in Silicon Valley” that is still accurate.