I’ve been a consultant for over 30 years. People used to rag me with the line “A consultant is someone who borrows your watch and tells you the time.” My reply: “That’s true, but a surprising number of companies own perfectly good watches, and can’t tell time.”
It’s sales. First you sell them on the idea of hiring you, then you imagine solutions and sell them on the solutions. Salespeople aren’t always as optimistic and enthusiastic as they seem, but they fake it VERY well.
There’s a certain mind$et in admini$tration that $ee$ value in remuneration.
They were paid more than the rest of us partly due to their ability to hire people who could do things they couldn’t. They had the vision of the end result; our job was to get there with outdated clocks and budgets. Consultants were paid even more than my boss; so their ideas were considered valid. We got new clocks and a bigger budget that allowed us to implement our original suggestions and exceeded the goals. The lead consultant got a bonus.
Consultants in certain areas of human behavior might actually be of value. But, as a teacher for the last 3 decades of the 1900’s, I am deeply sorry they jumped into the field of primary-secondary education. I also wish pols had stayed out of it. The events of the past 5 years, and especially the last three months are convincing proof of the need for a return to the academic standards of an earlier period. But, that is an old argument and of little value in a younger population that has never experienced it. You can’t miss what you never had.
The Dunning–Kruger effect does have this parallel in the other direction. People who don’t know how much they don’t know overestimate themselves (the DK effect); surprisingly, people who DO know more (and therefore have a more accurate estimation of their abilities relative to the problem at hand) often OVERestimate others because they think “If the problem and a potential solution are that clear to me, surely they are clear to everybody”. It has often been pointed out that “common sense” is not very common.
GreasyOldTam over 3 years ago
I’ve been a consultant for over 30 years. People used to rag me with the line “A consultant is someone who borrows your watch and tells you the time.” My reply: “That’s true, but a surprising number of companies own perfectly good watches, and can’t tell time.”
nosirrom over 3 years ago
Shaman on him for thinking that.
Concretionist over 3 years ago
It’s sales. First you sell them on the idea of hiring you, then you imagine solutions and sell them on the solutions. Salespeople aren’t always as optimistic and enthusiastic as they seem, but they fake it VERY well.
Sanspareil over 3 years ago
The only sales man I trusted was Soupy!
Doug K over 3 years ago
Consulting Soft wasn’t working, so …
CHiLLMeDiaN over 3 years ago
Eight year olds don’t talk like this.
trainnut1956 over 3 years ago
In farm country, consultants are often confused with manure spreaders because the do the same job.
Old Girl over 3 years ago
There’s a certain mind$et in admini$tration that $ee$ value in remuneration.
They were paid more than the rest of us partly due to their ability to hire people who could do things they couldn’t. They had the vision of the end result; our job was to get there with outdated clocks and budgets. Consultants were paid even more than my boss; so their ideas were considered valid. We got new clocks and a bigger budget that allowed us to implement our original suggestions and exceeded the goals. The lead consultant got a bonus.
Richard S Russell Premium Member over 3 years ago
The first “consulting firm” I ever encountered were named Mom and Dad. I bet that’s where the whole idea got started in the first place.
sandpiper over 3 years ago
Consultants in certain areas of human behavior might actually be of value. But, as a teacher for the last 3 decades of the 1900’s, I am deeply sorry they jumped into the field of primary-secondary education. I also wish pols had stayed out of it. The events of the past 5 years, and especially the last three months are convincing proof of the need for a return to the academic standards of an earlier period. But, that is an old argument and of little value in a younger population that has never experienced it. You can’t miss what you never had.
The Brooklyn Accent Premium Member over 3 years ago
“And that was good advice, good advice:
Good advice costs nothing, and it’s worth the price…"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Uw1mWBjbvU
WilliamMedlock over 3 years ago
Consultants are B ark material.
DutchUncle over 3 years ago
The Dunning–Kruger effect does have this parallel in the other direction. People who don’t know how much they don’t know overestimate themselves (the DK effect); surprisingly, people who DO know more (and therefore have a more accurate estimation of their abilities relative to the problem at hand) often OVERestimate others because they think “If the problem and a potential solution are that clear to me, surely they are clear to everybody”. It has often been pointed out that “common sense” is not very common.