Whiny Consultants

Ovid on 2008-06-09T08:53:01

I just read some rules of consulting and I was particularly struck by rule #5:

Never complain. They have enough of that, that's why they need you. You're their machete in the jungle of red tape. If you can't take it any more, try to affect positive change or leave. There's no crying in consulting!

Twice now I've worked with consultants who've bitched and moaned their way through their work. Even the one who was really qualified managed to offend the hell out of everyone. If there's an issue, here are the reactions:

Scenario: We don't think it's a problem.

Result: Your bitching confuses us and looks unprofessional.

Scenario: We already know it's a problem.

Result: Your bitching insults our intelligence and looks unprofessional.

Scenario: We didn't know it was a problem.

Result: Your bitching embarrasses us and looks unprofessional.

See a pattern? Save your bitching for your blog. Why should we rehire or recommend you otherwise?