Desperate Freelancer

Okay people. Here is the third and last part of our great history of consulting.

To make a recap of all what we learned, let's put it simple :

1. Socrats was the first consultant. He created this job for the good of humanity.

2. During the reign of the King Sun, Louis XIV, there were guys called courtiers who spendt their time praising the king to get advantages and valuables in return. They corrupted the spirit of what Socrates invented.

And then ? Well, we all know about the Mc Kinsey and Boston Consulting group and their army of grey clones. But what was the next step ? What made this big consultancy groups possible ?

This is the work of one single man, a MIT professor who was so bored by his students that he decided to teach companies how to do their job properly. His name was Arthur D. Little, and he founded in 1886 the first management consulting firm giving this company, his very name : Arthur D. Little, also said Arthur Doo Little.

This has nothing to do with Eddy Murphy, but it's also cool.

In 1886, this guy professionalized consulting.

That was a hell of a job. And a f***** good idea.

What was so different at this date that a man, yet clever and so on, but a normal dude like you and me, I mean not a superhero, can create something as great as the first consulting firm ?

What did happen in 1886 that could have made the mind of Mr Little become so big ?

1886 is the year of the first car. Yep. Carl Benz builds what is considered as the first "Automobile". Well, unless he got hit by Mr Benz trying his new vehicle, I guess there is no much here to develop Mr Little's imagination.

1886 is also the year where Charles Gallo, a bloody anarchist, attacks the Paris Stock Exchange Market and fails miserably. He got arrested but Mr Little didn't pay much attention to this event.

In 1886, John Styth Pemberton, in Atlanta, invents the future number one seller drink in the world : Coca Cola. Maybe he already feel like a lack for something you can drink while you drive that stuff Benz created. Nothing much to do with consulting neither.

1886, Geronimo surrenders. Ok, the lands of the west are free to conquier but this is too recent to intrude the idea of setting up a consulting firm in someone's mind.

In 1886, the statue of liberty is raised in Ellis Island. Another stuff French People can be proud of, but Mr Little does not give a damn about it.

Lots of great events but nothing that could have inspired Little.

So what ?

In 1886, the first May, a general strike begins in the United States that would lead to the eigh-hour workday...

That's it. In this period where it's usual for employees to work for 10 or 12 hours a day, a huge strike where workers claim for an 8 hour workday is nothing but the precursor sign of great changings for business organisation. Companies and firms all over the world will have some pain to make it through. Yep, Mr Little is a visionary fellow. He can forecast all the money he could make helping companies to overcome social improvements. Definitely not a dumbass.

Unfortunately, his intelligence has not passed throughout generations.

I have recently found a video of his grand-grand-son on Youtube. And as we could see, he has not inherited of his ancestor's brillant capacities :

Before we go on with our history of our management consulting, I'd like to teach how to recognize for sure a consultant from another "standard" employee.

It's not rare nowadays, in big corporations that you work beside people that don't have exactly the same status as you do. Whereas you grieve over your job as a wage earner, others are consultants grasping fees and all for the very same job. Oh yes, it's unfair. Oh yes, it could be great to poison their coffee with your bogeys, you mean people. But the thing is you can't differentiate them from "normal" employees.

Fortunately, I have tracked the signs that betray a consultant hidden in the vast and numerous corridors and meeting rooms of any companies. There are five of them. You only need to confirm one of these behaviors to be certain that you are faced with a consultant. If you do, you will be able to do whatever you want to him. But I don't want to hear anything about it.

1. He will never speak out against the heads of the company.

Of course, how could he ? They are his clients. Well, he could in very specific occasions : if he is drunk at the new year party or if his contract is not renewed. Or both. In this case, you will get hardcore gossip.

2. Most of the times, you don't understand what he is talking about.

Neither does he. Though, it's sometimes the only mean he has to maintain his position as a source of improvement and initiative for the company.

3. He spends half his time socializing

A normal guy don't need to get landed with his colleagues all the time. The consultant needs to sell himself every minute. Well, in fact the normal guy also needs to. But he is not trained for and screws up everything talking about the weather or the kids' new hobbies.

4. He knows the future

He is surely the only one in the all building but he can foresee what he is going to happen in the next 6 months/three years/five decades (choose according to the length of his mission). This will generally happen just after he is gone and will be awesome or catastrophic depending whether he is listened or not.

5. His car is bigger than yours

That's the last but the most efficient sign. With the same wage as you get, he wouldn't be able to afford such a tank. So, unless, he earns lots showing his butt at night on the internet, he is surely billing your company at an awful rate.

Well, as most of you are consultants.. so you know now what you should hide to preserve yourself a discreet and efficient position.

To conclude, here is a little video of an encouter with a consultant. I hope you will appreciate :

Shall we continue with this great history of consulting we started a week ago ?

Anyway, you have no choice. So let's go.

Years, decades and centuries had passed since Socrates. Yeah, a lot of thime passed before arrived another crucial progress in Consulting. The next big move in this history happened during the reign of Louis XIV, the King Sun. It was the time when consultants had the idea to get some remuneration for their advices. At last.

Since Socrates, who was, as we have seen in the previous post, a selfless consultant, there had been lots and tons of consultants throughout the ages. People who were good at doing anyone else's business or being in somebody else's shoes without doing anything but talking. Some managed to get a few compensation of course (like food or a place to sleep), but no real benefit from their consulting activity.

Until the rise of Louis XIV, and his armada of courtiers.

Those guys, who where real champs in the art of creating problems, were surrounding the King at all times in order to grasp some little piece of attention. Their consulting method was quite peculiar. They did not provide any real advice, which should lead to concrete action as nowadays. Instead, they provide Mister Louis with spirited words or brilliant thinkings.. according to the pure art of conversation. If the King was pleased with this chit-chat, they would get something valuable in return.

They would get some royal favours, such as grants, lands, manors or monopoles. In fact, it was their only goal. They did not felt invested with a mission of helping their client. All they wanted was to serve their own interest.. and occasionaly have some fun with gentle menials.

As many leader of our times, the King was only hiring courtiers/consultants to delude his lonelyness. He didn't need them really.

I know I am introducing you a very simplistic vision of these times, and of the job of consultant in these period. Relationships were a lot more shophisticated with bunch of power conflicts and influence discordances. But, I tried to make it simplier so you can understand what was the real improvement for the consulting vocation.

Indeed, courtiers were consultants. Funny type of. But consultants. We shall thank them for introducing the idea of taking benefit from talking to mighty people.

That's a hell of a jump since the ugly little Greek.