If You Read One Website Today

Because I know the deal. I've seen this in action. When I was just a young lad, flying to California every other week on a programming job, I sat next to a high-priced management consultant on an airplane. I thought this was a really cool guy to talk to -- expensive suits, the best computers, etc. He looked like he was doing the job I was born for. So I asked him what high-level consulting was all about.
"Do you really want to know," he asked.
"Sure."
"Basically there are three stages. First you meet with the client and find out what they want to do. Usually there is some degree of conflict in the organization. Sometimes it is hard to get them to tell you this. Secondly, you submit a proposal and do the work -- the work can consist of research, interviews, surveys, study, or anything that comes to mind that might help them. The final step is the presentation, where you tell them they need to do the things they wanted to do to start with."
Some of you might think that I am exaggerating. At the time, I honestly thought the guy was being flip. So I didn't pay that much attention to him. But over the years I've found there is much more than a nugget of truth in what he had to say.
Want to train your company in a new process? Some of the big boys will come in, do an assessment and a couple weeks of training for about $1200 per person. Or you could use the MAT, figure out yourself what you need, and pay about half that. I like to think of it as a "consultant in a box"
Sorry about getting on the soap box. It's a subject that's dear to my heart. Oddly enough, I feel that these guys who charge the huge rates my actually be worth it: if they can help the organization make decisions that they couldn't make otherwise, it's a good buy, and a good service to provide. But as the book review indicates, there is definitely a dark side to all of this, full of sleazebags and poor ethics.