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#ConsultingSecrets

from consultants. for consultants.

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#61: Create value. Not powerpoints.

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#44: Tweet your instructions

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#41: Beware of sharks

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#24: Keep your cool

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#11: Don’t tell an old cowboy how to ride

make your customer shine
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#2: Make your customer shine

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#65: Do what is required

February 20, 2015July 6, 2015 Thorsten Heller

Consultants always want to do the coolest projects. The most innovative ones. Challenging ones. For the hippest customers. Everybody wants to try the newest technologies. Use the hottest frameworks / methodologies. Develop from the scratch. Attend the most abroad conference at the … Continue reading #65: Do what is required

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#64: Never argue with an idiot

February 16, 2015February 16, 2015 Thorsten Heller

“Never argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.” Mark Twain is often credited this quote. There might be doubts whether he’s the originator or not. But there are no doubts at all: There’s a lot … Continue reading #64: Never argue with an idiot

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#63: Eliminate waste

December 30, 2014 Thorsten Heller

Elimination of waste is the number one principle in lean manufacturing and lean software development. Essentially, lean focusses on adding value and reducing everything else which does not contribute to create value. Consultants produce a considerable amount of rubbish. No … Continue reading #63: Eliminate waste

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#62: Kill your darlings

December 18, 2014December 18, 2014 Thorsten Heller

“In writing, you must kill your darlings” is a key advice to upcoming authors from William Faulkner, an American writer and nobel prize winner in literature. In consulting, you must kill your darlings too. At least sometimes. Why too often, consultants get … Continue reading #62: Kill your darlings

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#61: Create value. Not powerpoints.

December 15, 2014July 6, 2015 Thorsten Heller

Many consultants seem to live with the misconception that their work is mainly judged by number of powerpoint slides they produce. Especially the guys and girls from the big consulting firms. The weekly status meeting – let’s create a new slide deck. A quick discussion … Continue reading #61: Create value. Not powerpoints.

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#60: Ask 5 times why

October 6, 2014October 5, 2014 Thorsten Heller

Kids do it. Always. Constantly. Without mercy. They ask why. Follow-up with a next why. And a next why. And a next why. Consultants can learn a lot from kids. To find the root cause to any problem or defect, … Continue reading #60: Ask 5 times why

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#59: Live your story

September 15, 2014September 15, 2014 Thorsten Heller

Every consultant should at least once visit Lisbon to see and listen to Fado in one of the traditional restaurants. Fado is a Portuguese folk music featuring a singer and two guitarists. Mournful style. Mournful tunes. Mournful lyrics about loss and sadness. Performed … Continue reading #59: Live your story

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#58: Break the waltz

August 12, 2014August 12, 2014 Thorsten Heller

Referring to wikipedia, the Viennese Waltz is a rotary dance where the dancers are constantly turning either in a clockwise (natural) or anti-clockwise (reverse) direction. In business, the Viennese Waltz is performed too. Often. Way to often. People keep going … Continue reading #58: Break the waltz

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#57: Feed the good wolf

June 3, 2014June 3, 2014 Thorsten Heller

Rule #57 has its roots in an old indian telling: One evening an old Cherokee Indian told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, ‘My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is … Continue reading #57: Feed the good wolf

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#56: Accept the gap

May 21, 2014June 3, 2014 Thorsten Heller

Turn back time and remember your freshman years at college or university. Think about the final days before an exam. The closer the date, the harder you work. The more you rehearse, the less you think you know. The more you study, the … Continue reading #56: Accept the gap

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#55: Have something to say

May 14, 2014May 14, 2014 Thorsten Heller

“Wise men speak because they have something to say. Fools because they have to say something”. Unfortunately, many consultants do not know these words from Plato. There are way too many meetings or workshops where some people mean they just have to say … Continue reading #55: Have something to say

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#54: Don’t be a seagull

May 10, 2014July 28, 2014 Thorsten Heller

In his book “Leaderhip and the One Minute Manager”, Ken Blanchard describes a quite common management style with: “Seagull managers fly in, make a lot of noise, crap on everyone and everything, then fly out leaving a big mess behind”. This seagull behavior can … Continue reading #54: Don’t be a seagull

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#53: Call a spade a spade

October 20, 2013May 14, 2014 Thorsten Heller

Once again a rule which applies both private and business life. People often don’t dare to explicitly speak out something as it is. Often people avoid calling things out. Honestly and directly. People  struggle to call things by its right … Continue reading #53: Call a spade a spade

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#52: Make them decide

October 14, 2013May 14, 2014 Thorsten Heller

Every now and then people just get stuck. Struggle with making decisions. Unable to do the choices needed. Small ones. Basic ones. Day-to-day decisions like which outfit to wear today. Or tough decisions with an unhappy private situation. Or in … Continue reading #52: Make them decide

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#51: Don’t be a helicopter

October 7, 2013May 14, 2014 Thorsten Heller

During landing and take off in a sandy dessert, a helicopter makes an excessive noise and stirs up dust. That much noise and that much dust that everyone nearby gets completely distracted and neither can hear, see nor do anything … Continue reading #51: Don’t be a helicopter

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#50: Grab the bull by the horns

August 3, 2013May 14, 2014 Thorsten Heller

Every single day one has to handle challenging situations. Minor ones. Like an unfortunate misunderstanding with a buddy to be straighten up again. Difficult situations. Affecting personal relations to be taken hand on. Or business critical problems to be solved … Continue reading #50: Grab the bull by the horns

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#49: Make a difference

July 1, 2013May 14, 2014 Thorsten Heller

Time again for a short but nevertheless important one – rule #49: Make a difference. One of the core qualities of top notch consultants is a burning desire to make a difference with their work. To heavily contribute to their clients’ … Continue reading #49: Make a difference

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#48: Involve people

June 26, 2013May 14, 2014 Thorsten Heller

“Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I’ll understand.” is a famous chinese proverb. Benjamin Franklin modified and stated: “Tell me and I’ll forgot. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I’ll … Continue reading #48: Involve people

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#47: Feel the beat

June 25, 2013May 14, 2014 Thorsten Heller

Every company has its own organization. Its culture. With certain routines and procedures. Its own way of doing things. Its own working speed, pulse, rhythm and beat. Consulting business is sometimes like dancing. To achieve your goals, deliver valuable results and … Continue reading #47: Feel the beat

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#46: Don’t scare the hamsters

June 19, 2013May 14, 2014 Thorsten Heller

Hamsters, are by nature, afraid of anything that is not a hamster. Confronted with a snake or any other potential enemy, a hamster will be paralyzed and play dead until danger has passed. As a consultant you’ll meet a lot … Continue reading #46: Don’t scare the hamsters

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#45: Set realistic expectations

June 14, 2013May 14, 2014 Thorsten Heller

Think about a little boy waiting for christmas. He wrote a wishlist to Santa Claus with only one dream on it –  a radio controlled race car. Finally christmas is here. Instead of a radio controlled toy, there’s only a … Continue reading #45: Set realistic expectations

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#44: Tweet your instructions

June 12, 2013July 6, 2015 Thorsten Heller

Projects fail. That’s a rule. It’s not an exception. It’s a rule. Projects fail because of unrealistic deadlines, fanciful scope, underestimated complexity, mistakable or incomplete requirements, missing project steering, unmatched expectations, unclear organization or undefined responsibilities. Team members struggle to … Continue reading #44: Tweet your instructions

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#43: Don’t play games with crocodiles

June 10, 2013May 14, 2014 Thorsten Heller

Crocodiles have small ears, a big mouth, sharp teeth, a huge head and a quite small brain compared to its size. And they haven’t developed themselves that much during millions of years with evolution. Crocodiles are hardly to tame. They can … Continue reading #43: Don’t play games with crocodiles

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#42: Refuse “cover your ass” culture

June 6, 2013May 14, 2014 Thorsten Heller

Management by fear and intimidation is still going strong in many companies and businesses. As a result, a sharp-edged “covering your ass” culture sprawls in projects. Employees’ and team members’ driving force is to make sure that they aren’t to blame when … Continue reading #42: Refuse “cover your ass” culture

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#41: Beware of sharks

June 3, 2013July 6, 2015 Thorsten Heller

Even if you’re one of the ‘Good Guys’ who’s playing in the ocean, sharks will still try to attack you! This advice is not only important for surfers, sport divers or ocean swimmers. It’s an important advice for consultants too. … Continue reading #41: Beware of sharks

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