Need some dating tips? Some relationship advice? Just search the web. Google will spit out tons of save bets to hook up with your dream partner or to keep your relationship alive and strong. One of the hottest tips is … Continue reading #40: Make her / him miss you

Many times one is met with dullness or stupidity. Especially in business. People who talk about things they don’t know anything about (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect). Co-workers who (apparently try to) make your job harder. Customers who come with unrealistic expectations or unfair … Continue reading #39: Count to 10

Life is full of give and take – both private life and business. Many people are more “takers” who try to get as much as possible from others. Some only give exact what they expect to get back. Only a … Continue reading #38: Be generous

Business is (sometimes) like war. It’s all about handling conflicts. Every single day there are some battles to stand. Some fights to face. In workshops or meetings. Discussions or arguments. Negotiations or mediation sessions. Sometimes you’ll loose. Sometimes you’ll win. … Continue reading #37: Build your counterpart a golden bridge

Many business people and consultants are workaholics. Even more are meetaholics. They appraise their importance and success with the number of meetings they attend. The more meetings, the more important they feel. Rushing from one meeting to the next and … Continue reading #36: Skip meetings without an agenda

Some like it kinky, sure. But the majority of the people don’t want to get caught with their pants down. Neither in private nor business live. It’s a small word. Bad decisions make the best stories. The talk is cheap … Continue reading #35: Don’t get caught with your pants down

One of the best signs and characteristics of brilliant business women/ men is, that these people never get personal in arguments or debates. They never attack others personally. They would never use an “argumentum ad hominem” ; meaning they would … Continue reading #34: Never get personal

Let’s take another typical real life business example. A new strategy or business critical initiative has been decided by the management. The business case is calculated. Stakeholder analysis and risk assessments are done. Project mandate is written and accepted. An … Continue reading #33: Take the first step

Assume an ordinary day at work. Think about a typical meeting. Take any workshop. Heavy discussions. Many challenges. Huge problems. Complicated explanations. Lots of assumptions. Mostly guesswork. Nobody really has the facts. Nobody dares asking, probably they don’t know the … Continue reading #32: Chase for answers, chase for facts

How would you check whether your food is spoiled? You could check the “best before” date. You could do a visual check. Or you could do a sniff test and follow your nose. You’d just trust your instinct. How would … Continue reading #31: Trust your nose

Heard about T. Boone Pickens? A well-known American business magnate and corporate raider. Ranked (by Forbes) as 328th richest person in America. Receiver of the 2009 Bower Award for Business Leadership for 50 years of visionary leadership in oil and … Continue reading #30: Don’t get side-tracked

When Apple launched the first iPod generation in 2001, it came with a 5 GB hard drive. These days, only hardcore geeks were able to imagine what 5 GB were good for. Average Joe and Plain Jane just had no … Continue reading #29: Speak in pictures

Consulting business is showbusiness. At least sometimes. There are a lot of things consultants can learn from showpeople. Think about Broadway artists. Think about great entertainers, comedians, musicians or stage actors. They play the same program over and over again. Show … Continue reading #28: Act like a Broadway artist

Ever been at a conference where a speaker used thousands of fancy foreign words to impress the audience, but wasn’t able to convey any message? Ever been at a meeting where participants try to surpass the others with smart sounding … Continue reading #27: Explain it to your grandma

The team at Apple developing the first Macintosh got the instruction to make it “insanely great.” Steve Jobs wrote a maxim on a whiteboard; a maxim which became a cornestone in Apple’s success: “Don’t compromise.” Rule #26 is an adaption … Continue reading #26: Don’t compromise

Sometimes you just have to take a break to recover and recharge your batteries. That’s why even #ConsultingSecrets follows rule #25 which says: Take a break. For the next few days, all PCs, laptops and Macs will be turned off.  Brains … Continue reading #25: Take a break

In his theory of evolution Charles Darwin explained “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Darwin’s theory of the evolution of species sounds like a perfect … Continue reading #23: Adapt fast

Now and then an opportunity just knocks at your door. Perhaps you’re asked to lead a strategic and business critical project. Maybe you’re offered a position as chief architect for a huge BPM, SOA or integration initiative. Eventually you get … Continue reading #22: Take a shot

Being stuck in a dangerous, life-threating or hopeless situation, in an action movie one would just wait for a hero who would save you. Sly Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jean Claude Van Damme would come out of nowhere, risk their … Continue reading #21: Be your own hero

In the age of 87, Michelangelo – an italian sculptor, painter, architect, poet and engineer, who is considered to be one of the greatest artists of all time – said: “I’m still learning.”  Abraham Lincoln – the 16. President of … Continue reading #20: Never stop learning

Andrés Iniesta – midfielder for FC Barcelona and the Spanish National Team – is a brilliant footballer player known for his passing, dribbling, vision and movement. Referring to wikipedia, Iniesta relies on exceptional creative passing, intuition and inventiveness to control … Continue reading #19: Play others good

Rule #18 is a short one. A simple one. An easy one. But it’s also one which is often forgotten: Celebrate success. Business goes fast. Market changes quickly. Delivery speed counts. Time is cash – time is money. A lot of … Continue reading #18: Celebrate success

Lonesome cowboys and lone fighters are usually successful and become superheroes – at least in an Italo Western or Hollywood productions. Just remember Charles Bronson in “Once Upon a Time in the West” or Bruce Willis in “Die Hard”. Tough guys. Lonely … Continue reading #17: Stay connected and use your network

Experienced consultants know one thing for sure – unforeseen events occur. Conditions can change. People may change and they even may change their mind without telling you. Expectations may not be fulfilled. Agreements may not be met. Technology may fail. … Continue reading #16: Always have a plan “B”