Updating The New Networking: Caribbean 2008

I’d love to hear from Caribbean readers on what kinds of challenges they face in building professional networks across the region. I’m thinking about updating my e-book, The New Networking, for a 2010 release.

So, here is the question of the hour: “What is the greatest challenge you have in building your Caribbean network?”

Consultants Doing “Free Estimates”

carrot-and-stickI just read the following article at Michel Fortin’s blog and found it provocative, to say the least.

Here is an excerpt:

Ultimately, I would never, ever, meet with a client until and unless they pay for my expenses. After all, if they’re not willing to at least pay for my expenses, then…

  • They are unqualified;
  • They are going to haggle;
  • They will nitpick my work;
  • They will demand more, likely for free;
  • And they’ll avoid paying for regular, project expenses, too.

This post should be required reading for all consultants.  It’s that important.  Here is the link to the post “How Far Are You Willing to Go to Land the Sale?”

Foolproof: SuperNanny and the Dog Whisperer

dog-whisperer-cesar2There are a couple of television shows that I find fascinating in their ability to demonstrate powerful coaching.  They are fool-proof, simply because their coachees are demonstrating which techniques work, and which don’t.

In both cases, the subjects being coached aren’t acting, because they simply aren’t able.  In the case of The Nanny, the coachees are young children, and in the case of the Dog Whisperer, they are canines of all kinds.

I recommend both, but not because I have either kids or puppies.

Instead, both coaches have had to develop a certain level of expertise that is unique, and the successes highlighted in each show can only happen because they have a fine grasp of the tools of their trade.  They are masterful in how they approach each challenge, and when they are around the novice parents and owners that they work with, it’s obvious that they see each situation quite differently from those they are helping.

The response from their advice is immediate and visible, and each show takes pains to show the change that happens in vivid images.

Kudos to them for what they accomplish (even if the utter failures end up on the cutting floor.) They still demonstrate insight and understanding in action, and the results they are able to show in 30 minutes is fascinating to watch.

Click here for more information on BBC’s “The SuperNanny.”

Click here for more information on the “Dog Whisperer.”