Management Consultant, The: Mastering the Art of Consultancy (Financial Times Series)

I hated this book to the core. Its utterly non-nonsensical and lack practical application

This book is ideal for anyone learning the basics about consultancy to the advanced theory behind becoming a great consultant.Coming from a Humanities background. Transitioning to consultancy was a daunting task. I felt I was drastically behind on my competitors, and did not fully understand what the role entailed. This book achieved two things for me. It ensured that I was up to speed with the service and terminology, as well as reassuring me that this transition was right for me. I was able to see exactly what it takes to be a good consultant, and what transferable skills will be useful going into the industry.The book is written in a clear and concise way, making it possible to understand and digest what consultancy is. It also avoids bias, giving an honest picture of what to expect.Chapter 2 'Transitioning into consultancy' was essential for my development. I urge anyone who is beginning a career in consultancy to read this. This chapter is aimed at those already within a career making the transition, but I was able to use this chapter to see what skills would be advantageous.I have enjoyed reading this book and found it more constructive than any of the other management consultancy guides out there.

I read the first edition of this book over 3 years ago, and am glad to have purchased the second edition, as I wanted to re-read the book.This book was the clincher for me in terms of helping me decide to go full on with consulting. Two main reasons why:1. It encouraged me that I had the right skill set. The author describes a consultant REALLY does, and how to transition your career to being one.2. It gave me a framework not just for finding work, but for how I actually go about the consulting process – I couldn't find this anywhere. People love Alan Weiss books, but he doesn't actually talk about this part, and this was the most important part to me.With the second edition updates, reading it a second time round is really welcome, and I'm finding it very valuable.I'm surprised TBH at the other review on here, because I find this book SO good. It's the one I always recommend first of all, above any other consulting book (I've read about a dozen or so).

Transitioning to a new industry is always challenging however the complexities of management consulting can make approaching this line of work even more difficult.Through the ‘Management Consultant’, Richard has effectively created a clear and precise picture of the realities of consulting, highlighting proven approaches to successfully create a client centric approach.This book also stands out through addressing less commonly discussed topics such as moving into consulting from a industry background and the core differences between expert and process driven consulting.I found this book both entertaining and deeply insightful and would recommend it to new and seasoned consultants alike.

I’ve used his project management books previously, and found them very useful so thought I’d give this one a go as I have recently transitioned from full time employment to consultancy. The contents are comprehensive, covering the full spread of activities from staring out through to developing and sustaining the high performance that clients pay for and expect. I’ve only been able to validate some of it so far, but to date the examples have been insightful and practical. It’s well written and doesn’t take two pages to get across what can be written in a paragraph.

Sorry, but I didn't like the book at all. It's booring, very vague and theroretical. With the experience that he has, I was hoping a lot more of this book. I was looking for a book that would help my consulting business, a guide and something that would made me think and improve my way of doing things. I saw the ratings here and I thought that would be an excelent book. Not recommended. I've read Million Dollar consulting by Alan Weiss and that is a very good book for an independent consultant.