ABSTRACT
Are there basic principles of effective consulting? Is there a philosophy by which effective consultants live? In the process of collecting data to write the first edition of this book, my co-author, Homer H. Johnson, and I asked 100 successful consultants to think back over their careers and tell us the four or five principles of effective consulting that most contributed to their success. We weren’t interested in specific skills or techniques; instead, we wanted to learn the general philosophy (or guidelines) these consultants followed that they thought made them effective in what they did. As you might expect, the question elicited a variety of responses. However, as often happens with such questioning, everyone agreed on five important points. These principles have continually been validated throughout the years since the first edition of this book was published.
