Stuck between mediocrity and excellence

Book clubs get a bad rap.  They are associated with a group, typically of the female persuasion, sitting in living room and drinking wine talking about a book like 50 Shades of Grey.  But if you think about it, you are gathering like minded individuals together to discuss interpretations and opinions of the same book.  A group is generally smarter than an individual (provided you actually are in a group of people with similar intellect). Book clubs can reinforce ideas and themes.  Additionally, leaders are continuous learners.  It's when the learning stops that a fixed mindset settles in. Fixed mindset = stuck = no man's land. There are lists upon lists of books to read for entrepreneurs , leaders , business owners , managers , etc...  Take a list, pick a book, and call some friends.  I guarantee that you'll get more out of it than you think. 

Over the past few years, I've read a lot of business books.  And I mean A LOT.   I'll read two books in parallel on my iPad (Kindle and iBooks).  I'll listen to another one on my phone through audible.com.  Some days I may even go retro and pop a CD into my car and listen to that. It's probably safe to say that if there is a top " whatever"  list of business books that an entrepreneur, business leader, or manager should read -- I've definitely read at least two that are on the list.  Unfortunately for me, my reading comprehension skills have been terrible since the Pre-SAT which means that I'm probably missing out on many key messages or themes that these books are communicating.  However, out of everything that I'm reading, here's what I've remembered: Values matter - Not just values, core values. Individuals need to define their core values as leaders. Companies need to identify their values as an organization. It's t...

If you are interested in the consulting profession, there is one author that you need to get to know.  You know how there is someone that can articulate what you are feeling or observing in  ways that just makes sense?  David Maister is that guy for management consulting.  Ironically, I was turned on to his book, True Professionalism , by a friend that worked at a competing professional services company.  It's that book that introduced me to the donkey strategy.  To say you made more money by working more is not evidence of immense intellectual creativity. In fact, I call it the donkey strategy. There are many professional services firm today built on motivating their employees on working more overtime (i.e., charging more hours).  If you've been in the business for a few years and want to build, succeed in, operate, or lead a professional services organization, I would create a David Maister library and make these books front and ce...

When you peddle consulting services like they are items on a dim sum cart , what are you really selling?  Like a lot of those dim sum items, are you selling something that sounds good initially, but over time it  tears your organization up?  Or are you selling something that just doesn't look good at all, but you know that someone / somewhere wants it -- otherwise it wouldn't be on the cart?  If you are doing true advisory work, your services are tailored to the client's problem -- provided that you are able to frame the problem to begin with. There are too many "consulting" companies that provide just the right menu items to clients that have already decided that they wanted dim sum for lunch anyway.  For a minute, just back up, look at what you are doing, and say to yourself, "Maybe, just maybe, this client doesn't need to feel bloated and dehydrated for the rest of the day." As great as the dim sum model is as a business model, it fa...

About this time last year, I wrote that clients were not paying me for my advice .  I have a point of view that as a consultant within certain bill rate spectrums, clients are paying you to "do" and not to "advise."  It's the difference between what you pay a guy to put up sheet rock versus what you pay the person doing your interior decorating.  One relationship is very commoditized and transactional in nature. The other relationship is specialized and somewhat personal.  In the local consulting market, companies are offering commoditized service offerings. There are very few cities out there that have enough demand by a specific industry where you can hang up a shingle and make big firm money.  Therefore, you have to provide a series of offerings, generic in nature, that apply ubiquitously across multiple companies and multiple industries.  Unfortunately, because you are now a commodity, whatever expertise you may have is now ...

If and when you plan to enter the management consulting profession, there is one author whose books are a must read - David Maister.  He has a way of describing the inner workings of the industry in a way that just makes sense.  True Professionalism  was the first book that I read at the recommendation of a friend.  Maister broke down everything that I needed to know about consulting in such a way that I experienced the HSE (Holy Sh*t Effect). I'm now listening to The Trusted Advisor on audible.com.  There's a lot of lip service out there from companies claiming 1.) that they are consulting companies; and 2.) that they have aspirations of becoming "trusted advisors." Unfortunately, #1 is an embellishment to recruit people and #2 is exactly what it is - aspirational.  According to Maister, there are four types of relationships: Vendors  Technical Experts Valuable Resources Trusted Advisors You can think of this as a progression a...

"You have to make it rain!"  Any leadership position in a professional services firm requires that you have the ability to sell.  Depending on what type of firm you are in, the selling style types can range from that of a used car salesman to drug dealer to trusted advisor.  And to confirm what Daniel Pink alludes to in To Sell is Human , the perception of a person in sales is predominantly that of the slick used car salesman.  Why is that the case?  The answer lies in incentives. Salespeople  get compensated on quick fixes.  Quick fixes are solved through commissions.  The quicker you can close a transaction or deal, the sooner you get paid. It fosters superficial relationships and a lack of loyalty between seller and buyer. In addition, you don't have to be smart to be this kind of salesman. You simply have to be selfish,  narcissistic, and manipulative. Being good looking also helps.  What most people don't understand i...