Consultant = Court Jester

I’ve just found a very interesting entry in David Maister's blog, called Passion, People and Principles. The entry is entitled The Dream Job?, It’s basically an excerpt from “Lear’s Fool: Coping With Change Beyond Future Shock” by D. Verne Morland.

It compares the role of a court jester to that of a consultant. Just think about it. Consultants are supposed to be those respected outsiders who can overstep the “corporate mark” and can make disturbing and provocative announcements to improve their clients’ condition.

But instead, many consultants are too busy stretching assignments and inflating billable hours by doing what’s beneficial to them almost regardless of whether or not it’s beneficial to their clients.

This article will give you both a good laugh and maybe (I hope) a few minutes of serious pondering upon our roles as consultants.