The bench isn’t career purgatory, it’s consulting’s most honest mirror—and your biggest accelerator if you use it right. Off the field is where you sharpen skills, build relationships, and create IP. Play offence across the 4 Cs—Consultant, Clients, Colleagues, Community—and you’ll be first pick.
Last month, I launched ConsultantCafe, unsure if it would resonate. The response has been humbling. It seems there’s an appetite for learning, tools, & connection in consulting. Thank you for being part of this journey.
Consulting rules of thumb that no one tells you. Kim shares his hard-earned lessons.
Crack the code of consulting. Let one of the 4Cs of Consulting dominate, and you risk burnout, boredom, or becoming that consultant everyone avoids. Nurture them all, even if it is hard, and your career will flourish.
The bench isn’t career purgatory, it’s consulting’s most honest mirror—and your biggest accelerator if you use it right. Off the field is where you sharpen skills, build relationships, and create IP. Play offence across the 4 Cs—Consultant, Clients, Colleagues, Community—and you’ll be first pick.
Last month, I launched ConsultantCafe, unsure if it would resonate. The response has been humbling. It seems there’s an appetite for learning, tools, & connection in consulting. Thank you for being part of this journey.
Done well, comms is a strategic tool that drives understanding, reduces resistance, and builds momentum. This article shows how to move your plan from nice-to-have to an essential consulting craft.
Consulting rules of thumb that no one tells you. Kim shares his hard-earned lessons.
Crack the code of consulting. Let one of the 4Cs of Consulting dominate, and you risk burnout, boredom, or becoming that consultant everyone avoids. Nurture them all, even if it is hard, and your career will flourish.
AI is changing consulting. But change is what consulting is built on. Your consulting career is not about avoiding disruption. It is about mastering it. In the AI era, that is your biggest opportunity yet.
Remember, ChatGPT is a language model. It does not “know” you. You don’t have to accept every insight it produces. The value comes from being honest in your answers and taking the time to reflect on them.
Change management thrives when you treat it as a system, not a checklist. This framework forces you to think that way. The six streams of effort work in concert. Miss one, and the whole thing wobbles.
If you wait until you feel qualified, you will miss the best work of your career. You will miss the best client moments, the best learning opportunities, and the best stories. You may miss your calling.
It is important to create an environment where people feel safe enough to think differently. Sometimes, that starts with a pencil and a prompt that makes no logical sense.
Avoiding shame. Avoiding inadequacy and avoiding the consultant’s quiet impostor syndrome. It’s a vain attempt to hide behind busywork, hoping your practice Partner will notice and reward you with a promotion.
Know that consulting is not about having the answers. It’s about staying curious and paying attention. Every client has its own rhythm, its own way of working, and its own unspoken signals.