Imagine your well-dressed and intelligent grandpa telling you stories after a life of consulting. That's how it read to me. It's full of very useful ideas, if sometimes a little broadly expressed, pinned to memorable anecdotes with a good stickiness. It's not the kind of writing I'm used to or that I typically enjoy, but it's good and conversational. ( )

Weinberg is a master of extracting the human personality required to run modern business. He describes one of his art-forms in this introduction to consulting practice. This book does not focus merely on short heuristics on how to consult. It instead goes in-depth into the psyche required to succeed as a consultant.

He defines consulting as the art of influencing people at their request. He then describes a rational framework for this practice and how communication can succeed through humility and the proper management of change. This latter topic (the management of change) is where Weinberg is at his best. He distills his advice in rules or laws that govern the enterprise. Often these laws seem paradoxical or unusual at first. Then he supports these laws with interesting anecdotes that bring the truth to the fore. As such, he prepares the landscape of consulting for those new to the practice. Landmines are able to be anticipated and avoided instead of exploded with pain.

At the very least, Weinberg's voice needs to be heard because of his incredible self-awareness. Instead of approaching the matter as mere science and facts, Weinberg artfully describes the human component in consulting - since it is the art of influencing people, at their request. Anyone who wants to get better at navigating the thorny roads of human feelings and human nature would benefit from reading Weinberg's take.
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If you are looking for a book filled with bullet points that give you clear and specific instructions, this one is not for you. This is more of a book of wisdom, being told in metaphorical fables. Yet the lessons are really insightful and inspiring beyond the world of consulting. You'll appreciate the book better if you don't read it in a hurry to find "quick-fixes". ( )

I give this to new hires, if only for the quote "things are the way they are because they got that way." ( )

Don't let the title fool you, this is not your typical management-style consulting book. Gerald Weinberg is one of those ubiquitious big names in software engineering, up there with Tom DeMarco and Ed Yourdon. His book on consulting advice is a collection of "rules" and anecdotes about being a good consultant. It's highly amusing. ( )