A selection of the Executive Program Book Club For anyone who wants to know what consulting is really like as a career, as a living, as a way of life. This book shows you how to make consulting rewarding--both financially and personally. You'll learn about the practical issues of managing time, clients, money-as well as broader concerns, such as how to balance work with family life.
- The Consultant's Calling covers:
- The consultant as leader
- The work consultants do and how they do it
- The formula for a strong consultant-client partnership
- Making your way in the marketplace
Praise for the First Edition "Taps into our feelings about our work, but it also makes definite suggestions to improve our craft as consultants. It helped me, even though I have twenty-nine years of experience as a consultant."
— Journal of Management Consulting
"The best book for [people who are trying to determine whether] consulting is for them."
— T & D
"A triumph of goodwill, wisdom, and a kind of humble Midwestern practicality. If Will Rogers had given attention to the consulting profession, this is the book he would have written."
— Peter Block, author of Flawless Consulting
"I must have a couple of dozen colleagues who shouldn't go another day without this book. Bellman has found a way to portray consulting as a way of life rather than just an abstract function. Here it all is-what we enjoy and exult in, and what we ponder, anguish, and whisper about. You will already know Geoff-the-Consultant: He is yourself."
— Peter Vaill, author of Managing as a Performing Art
"A wonderful book for people who want to test the waters of consulting, as well as for those who are looking to affirm their role as consultant but want to enhance their impact with clients and their own lives."
— David B. Wagner, Mercer Delta Consulting
"All my life, as a girl, as a professional consultant and now a retired elder I have shaped myself to be able to answer the internal question: Am I truly making a difference in the world? Am I truly living my beliefs through the contributions? And one day, some years ago I found Geoff Bellman and The Consultant's Calling. I wanted to shout out loud in my room, 'Yes that's it! That's what it's all about!' It affirmed for me everything I believed . . . .and we need affirmation with regularity, because it's often lonely out there. This book has been an inspiration for me and the most important part of reading it over and over is that it affirms what's best in me and my work. Thank you for being there, Geoff."
— Kathie Dannemiller, consultant and author of Collaborating for Change
"Geoff Bellman, you wrote my song! I laughed and cried and hummed as I sang The Consultant's Calling. It left me feeling affirmed for who I am, empowered with what I could be, guilty for what I choose not to face, skilled with what I can now do, and clearly convinced that I am living my work on purpose."
— Chip Bell, management consultant and author of Clients and Consultants