When I wrote the foreword for the first edition of this book I encouraged you to
check out the shelves of your local bookseller for books on consulting, where you
would assuredly find books on how to set up an independent consulting practice,
how to market yourself as a consultant, and even how to make millions of dollars
as a consultant. And, I noted that you might even find these books to be
interesting reads, but my guess was and still is, unlike The Basic Principles of
Effective Consulting, second edition, you may never look at those books again. If
you only read one book on consulting this year, once again, I encourage you to
read this one! The popularity of the first edition, and the cry for an updated
version from many users proved my point indeed.
The Basic Principles of Effective Consulting, second edition, will again be a book you
are drawn to repeatedly over your career in consulting. Just as Stroh notes
throughout this book, when most consultants fail, it’s because they have never
learned (or have forgotten) the basics of doing consulting—step by step, this book
reminds you of those important basics.