Whether you work as a consultant or you work with consultants, this practical guide helps to discover how consulting influences your business- and real life-decisions and those of others. It is packed with: sample scenarios; case studies; client-consultant dialogues; hands-on tools; action plans; and implementation checklists.

List of Figures and Exhibits vi Welcome xi Quick Guide to Contents xxi 1 No Fast and Easy Way 1 1 Flawless M. J. Wheatley 5 2 A Sensible Oxymoron Andrea Markowitz 7 3 Risk Is Where You Find It Peter Block 13 4 The Journey Idries Shah 21 5 Consultant, Flawed: A Story of Eternal Internal Triangles Ken Murphy 23 6 The Power of Conversations at Work Joel Henning 43 2 The Complexity of Advice 65 7 What Should I Do? Peter Block 69 8 Four Communities Idries Shah 75 9 Changing Focus: Consulting in the New Economy Patrick Dolan 77 10 Be Careful Who You Ask: Perils of Wisdom Andrea Markowitz 81 11 Dealing with Resistance: Having the Right Conversation in Difficult Situations Phil Grosnick 89 12 The Case of Pricilla and the Red Pen Andrea Markowitz 97 3 The Power of the Question 117 13 Making the System Fully Known to Itself: Discovery As a Collaborative Process Jill Janov 125 14 Two Sides Idries Shah 135 15 Resolving a New Paradox with Old Wisdom Marvin Weisbord 137 16 Change Is in the Details Peter Block 149 17 Talk Is Walk: Language and Courage in Action Peter Koestenbaum 153 18 So, What’s Working Here? A Conversation with Elizabeth McGrath 167 4 Emotions and the Personal 175 19 Balancing Competence with Consciousness: One Woman’s Wisdom Rosemarie Barbeau 179 20 Nobody’s Fool: Unconventional Guides for the Emotional Path Andrea Markowitz 187 21 In the Land of Fools Idries Shah 199 22 Up Front and Personal A Conversation with Charlotte Roberts 201 23 Women’s Leadership Collaborative: Investing in Our Humanity Nancy Voss 209 24 Sneaking the Spirit In A Conversation with John Schuster 229 5 Valuing Capacities 237 25 Leading from Behind: Talking with Sled Dogs Sam Magill 241 26 Homeopathic Consulting: Learning Is Free, Teaching Is Not Cliff Bolster 249 27 Milk and Buttermilk Idries Shah 265 28 Consulting As Capability Building Lou Ann Daly 267 29 Getting Real John O’Connell 273 6 Integrating Strategy and Experience 287 30 The Engagement Paradigm: Changing the Way We Change Organizations Dick and Emily Axelrod 291 31 Caring about Place Peter Block 307 32 Unleashing the Spirit Kathie Dannemiller, Sylvia James, and Paul Tolchinsky 315 33 Nancy’s Checklist Nancy Sanchez 329 34 Anonymous Data Collection? Definitely Yes and No Neale Clapp 331 35 Toward a More Participative, Productive Workplace Marie McCormick 339 36 Co-Creating a Community’s Future: Once upon a Time in a Place Called Home David and Carole Schwinn 355 37 How Am I Doing? How Am I Doing? You Like Me! You Really Like Me! Peter Block 365 7 No Masks No Bargains 375 38 My Worst Consulting Nightmare Amy J. Katz 383 39 Three Nightmares A Conversation with Henry Johnson 389 40 Twelve Questions to the Most Frequently Asked Answers Peter Block 393 Postscript 405 Thanks to Contributors 407 About the Author 427 Index 429 Flawless Consulting Workshops 441

A FRIEND INDEED! IN THIS TIME of free agency, outsourcing, and cross-functional work teams, consulting has become a part of everyone's job. Plus, we live in an era in which we are forced to hire professionals to provide the help we used to seek from friends. Some of this need for instant expertise is for reassurance; some is just that we do not have time to learn it ourselves. So, despite all the ambivalence surrounding consulting, it has grown into big business and generally infiltrated our lives. The intent of this book is: To support the integrity of your expertise To change your mind about how you interpret your own consulting experience To broaden your way of thinking To bring a manageable dose of therapy and art, philosophy, and literature into you thoughts about consulting; and To do it in a comforting and simple way Enjoy this book, let it accompany you into the field, and use it as encouragement for writing your own story—which may be the point of it all. "In Peter's characteristically accessible style, this complement to the recently revised Flawless Consulting skillfully challenges consultants to learn what moves us towards more accountability and to discover what releases the commitment and passion inherent to the experience of being human." —GORDON C. BROOKS, MSOD program administrator, The Graziadio School of Business and Management, Pepperdine University "This book is a must read for anyone consulting or considering consulting. Peter has once again broken new ground with The Flawless Consulting Fieldbook & Companion." —STEVE GIBBONS, past president, The Association for Quality and Participation

"This is content as rich as tiramisu. I find that I can digest only a small portion at a time; yet I'm always back for more. An indispensable resource for the consultant seeking ideas and inspiration." (Kathryn Heath) "Wow! A companion a business owner can't be without! The insights of 30 consultants the caliber of Peter Block is priceless." (Sue Mosby, principal, CDFM2 Architecture Inc) "This book is a companion piece for both the desktop and bedside of those who do consulting full time or in their role as leader. I plan to keep this book close to me to both guide and inspire my work." (Phil Harkins, president, Linkage, Inc.) "No matter how proficient, companies who fail to understand and apply Block's concepts risk operating at the vendor level with their clients rather than at the partner level-a potentially mortal risk in an increasingly strategic marketplace." (Fred Lamparter, director of worldwide training, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide) "As we encourage our IT professionals to pursue continuous learning, this 'Fieldbook' will be added to their skill-building toolkit. We've used Block's Flawless Consulting guidelines to define the basic consulting skills program." (Cassandra A. Matthews, vice president, Information Technology and CIO, PECO Energy Company) "When it comes to prioritizing my reading, Peter Block is second only to the sports section. In this book, Peter provides different points of view and stories that plunge deeply into the human and organizational experience." (Paul Anderson, convener, Northern California School for Managing and Leading Change) "Peter's work always challenges me to think about things in new ways and pushes me to take risks I might not have had the courage for otherwise. This long awaited companion to Flawless Consulting is no exception." (Jennifer Powell, human resources manager, Aetna USHealthcare) "Peter Block and his friends have produced an indispensable companion to Flawless Consulting. Providing help to others is no easy task, but these philosophical, therapeutic, and artistic essays bring to life the spirit and hope of change practitioners everywhere. Ultimately, they deliver practical insights to the consulting craft." (Christopher G. Worley, director, MSOD Program, Pepperdine University) "If you're new to consulting, or if you need reinforcement that relationships are the heart of successful consulting, read this book. More experienced professionals will find some real gems along the way like Peter's Twelve Exits. And where else will you find Sufi wisdom, Bertrand Russell, and Marvin Weisbord all under one roof?" (Rick Maurer, author, Beyond the Wall of Resistance and Building Capacity for Change Sourcebook) "In Peter's characteristically accessible style, this complement to the recently revised Flawless Consulting skillfully challenges consultants to learn what moves us towards more accountability and to discover what releases the commitment and passion inherent to the experience of being human." (Gordon C. Brooks, MSOD program administrator, The Graziadio School of Business and Management, Pepperdine University) 'This book is a must read for anyone consulting or considering consulting. Peter has once again broken new ground with the Flawless Consulting Fieldbook and Companion." (Steve Gibbons, past president, The Association for Quality and Participation)