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To: Mike Buckley who wrote (4753)	8/10/1999 7:55:00 AM
From: Frank A. Coluccio	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 54805

Off Topic, Re: The Consulting Ethic Hello Mike, "Bona fide consulting is an oxymoron... Consulting is nothing more than customized sales." Those two sentences go to prove a point that I often make, and that is that even the most informed of individuals has lost site of this waning discipline called "consulting." While I would agree with you that the field has become infiltrated, nearly dominated by those who would pull their wares along the street in a wagon marked So and So Consulting, there are still some true practitioners around who abide by a code of ethics, while providing advice and counsel to clients. I recently posted an article in the SilkRoad thread that contains a list of what we called the "ten commandments of consulting" about four or five months ago, which makes my point. A part of that article follows: ----------------begin snip: Message 10060419 The following Ten Commandments of Consulting were developed several years ago on the Compuserve Telecommunications Forum by an associate of mine, Brad Buxton, and myself. He compiled these guidelines during a lengthy and rather exhaustive thread having to do with business practices in Telecomms and consulting ethics. He has since gone on to incorporate these principles into his consulting charter, as I have, mine. I have a copy of them on my office wall. --------------------------------- The Ten Commandments of Consulting, by Brad Buxton I. You have to have an opinion, and preferably should arrive at it on your own. II. Don't take bribes, lunches, advice, or anything else from a vendor. Otherwise, you'll just be a distributor of their product, and you will no longer be a consultant. III. Don't even maintain a dialogue with a vendor that offers you a bribe. Your reputation is damaged just as badly by the appearance, as if you had taken it. IV. Take risks, when the reward exceeds the risks. Arrange contingencies in the event of error, and learn from the your mistakes and the mistakes of others. V. No matter how different your clients' ideas are, or how obstinate their position, never disparage their ideas. VI. If you are in a situation where you don't have any options, and have only one vendor to rely on for a solution, it's better to fold than to play the hand. VII. Always be up front with your client. Even when things don't look great, let them know exactly where they stand. That way, they will be there with you, and will appreciate it if you pull off a miracle. If things go badly, they'll understand why. VIII. When a client speaks, listen. Nothing is so important as understanding their needs and outlook. You'll have plenty of opportunity to render your opinion later. IX. Treat the vendors fairly. They don't need to make a steak, but they should be able to make a sandwich. Everyone needs to win and be appreciated. X. If you get a vendor with a bad attitude, pitch them out immediately. There are too many good ones waiting out there that will do a great job if you let them. --------------------------end snip Best Regards, Frank Coluccio