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Title: Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used
ISBN: 0787948039
Author:
Peter Block
Publicate Date: 1999-09
Publish: 1999-09
List Price: $50.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $28.98
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $20.37
Amazon Merchant Price: $35.41
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Great Consulting Book
I have to admit that I really liked Peter Block's "Flawless Consulting". This book was originally written in 1978, and then revised in 1998. I expected the book to be dated and irrelevant, but it wasn't. The concepts that Block wrote about many years ago are still applicable today.
Block strikes a perfect balance between theory and execution. In fact, there is a lot of both. He backs up his theories with flowcharts, checklists, and even cartoons.
Until I read read this book, I thought that Alan Weiss's "Million Dollar Consulting" was the best consulting book out there. But Block's book ranks right up there with Weiss's.
This book has over 300 pages and is packed with information. The topics include 1) dealing with resistance, 2) getting the data, and 3) managing the feedback meeting.
If you are serious about your starting or improving your consulting business, then you really should read "Flawless Consulting".
Mitch Paioff, Author, Getting Started as an Independent Computer Consultant
Getting Started as an Independent Computer Consultant
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2: As promised
The book arrived promptly and would have been considered a brand new book with the exception of a tear on the paper cover that had been taped. Otherwise, the book itself is perfect.
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3: Excellent. Easily my favorite Consulting/Project Management book.
And it also one of my top 3 business problem solving books - and I've read a bunch of them.
I own and have read many books on management and project management, several on consulting specifically, and numerous books on problem solving and intelligence analysis. This is one of the few books I come back to, and it is definitely the one I come back to the most. It has the best information, it very well written, and it is a pleasure to read.
This book is the real deal. No silly platitudes or ideas, but a reality based approach and method. The issues in this book are the difference between success or failure as a consultant, and let me tell you a little secret......as a "manager" too.
This book assumes that you are already competent in your field of expertise. Beyond that, this is the stuff you won't learn in college or in most project management books, which emphasize "scheduling, monitoring and control" over commitment and cooperation, systems over people. Other books may tell you how important involvement, support and commitment are, but don't show you how to get it. I realize that Block makes a clear and proper distinction between consultant and manager, but I have worn both hats and can say without hesitation that an astute "manager" would find this book as valuable as a consultant.
Block gets at the heart of the matter. He deals with reality (people, politics, fear, resistance, etc.), not the ideal (whatever that may be), and he does this in a very positive manner. He tells you what to watch for, what it means, what is happening, how to respond. Some of his insights were truly eye opening; while others were things I knew, but not explicitly. Now I am consciously aware of them and use them more effectively. The questions and checklists he provides throughout the book are practically a book by themselves. They are very well designed and address the most important issues.
The few blas?? reviews are most likely from people who are not actually in the position of a "consultant" as defined in this book. If you are not truly in this position, this book may appear a little too touchy-feely for your taste. If you work in a troubleshooting environment where the solution is usually a predetermined response to the diagnosis, this book will have limited value. However, if you work in an environment where you deal with organizational issues and problems that involve people and politics, this is the book you want.
I have seen perfectly capable and hard working engineers, contractors, consultants and managers go by the wayside because they were too aloof or did not understand their clients on the "affective" level. They thought their expertise alone would insure the acceptance of their ideas and secure their position with the client...it didn't.
I have stumbled into a few successes in my consulting career and can look back and see it is because I applied the concepts of this book - whether by design or accident. Conversely, I can also see some other situations where the application of these concepts would have been very useful.
Finally, this book is extremely well written and enjoyable to read. This is rare for many business and management books. He has an amazing way of getting to the root of every issue and expressing it in a most concise manner. Only on a few occasions does he use the jargon of the consulting profession, and even then it is perfectly appropriate. He does repeat some themes in this book, but he is showing you how and where those themes fit in with each step of the consulting process.
Again, this book is the real deal. He knows what he is talking about when it comes to organizations and the consulting process. There is no doubt you will be a much improved consultant or manager if you learn and apply the methods in the book.
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4: book on consulting
My husband has this book and we bought it for a friend who just retired and became a consultant. My husband thinks it is one of the best books on consulting that he's read.
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5: Best book ever written on the consulting relationship
Block's book has been around awhile, and was the first purchase I made as I contemplated moving into the "independent consultant" game. Block's straightforward approach to dealing with each phase of the consulting engagement, and his insights on handling difficult situations in the business have been invaluable to me. Eight years and many client engagements later, I still find myself referring to it often, both as a refresher and as an inspiration, and I've purchased literally dozens of copies to give to colleagues and clients alike. Truly a classic, and a "must have" for anyone who consults, or who hires consultants.
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