[More Secrets of Consulting: The Consultant's Tool Kit] [By: Weinberg, Gerald M.] [January, 2002]

Consulting Secrets #2

by Gerald M. Weinberg

Widely acclaimed as a consultant's consultant, Gerald M. Weinberg builds on his perennial best-seller The Secrets of Consulting with all-new laws, rules, and principles. You'll learn how to fight burnout, stay curious, understand your clients, negotiate effectively, and much, much more. Consultants need more than technical skills—they need self-awareness and a strong set of personal abilities. Weinberg helps computer consultants identify and strengthen each aspect of their performance using a "consultant's tool kit" of seventeen memorable symbols. He devotes a chapter to each of these symbolic tools, from The Wisdom Box to The Fish-Eye Lens to The Oxygen Mask.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Technology, Technical, Leadership, Management, Personal Development

Paperback

First published December 15, 2001

About the author

Gerald Marvin Weinberg (October 27, 1933 – August 7, 2018) was an American computer scientist, author and teacher of the psychology and anthropology of computer software development.

Reviews

[Henry Suryawirawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the sequel to the Secrets of Consulting book. It follows the same style of writing with funny anecdotes and examples. There are some good insights, not just for consulting, but you would benefit even more if you're already an experienced consultant. I don't give 5-star, cause unlike the first book, there are sections that I found difficult to relate to and less interesting. Nevertheless, I find that the book is easy to read and offers wisdom for consulting purposes.

[Neville Ridley-smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weinberg is always fun to read, no matter what he writes. So I'm probably always going to give his books at least 4 stars.

However I'm not sure about giving this one 5 stars. It all makes sense but by the end of it I felt it was perhaps just a bit *too* general and high level to be immediately practical. Maybe it would help if I created a physical toolkit like was suggested in the epilogue. And perhaps I'll read it again in a few years.

[Jaakko Koivula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not at all as strong as the first book. Still a good and light read. No remorse about spending time with this one.

[Du · Rating 3 out of 5]

More Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg is the followup to The Secrets of Consulting. Like its predecessor it is about the tricks of the trade of consulting.

In More Secrets of Consulting, Weinberg turns the gaze from the external and how a consultant can act into the internal and how one can improve themselves. As a result the book covers the toolkit that Weinberg believes all consultants should have. Some of these are the ability to say clearly yes and no, be courageous, curiosity and so on.
While these traits are interesting to learn about but also think about it quickly becomes unorganized. The first book was great in that it focuses on what a consultant should know. This book doesn't really have a focus. The greatest consulting advice are exactly the same as advice coming from the first book. The rest can be found anywhere else and spans very broadly.

The style is still pleasant but is more personal and this does save the book a little. Ultimately there's less content to get to in this book and reading The Secrets of Consulting is enough.

[Nynke Fokma · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Vibhu]

Decent. The list at the end is good tips to remember

[Oleksii Burdin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great tool-kit to be congruent and aware on the reality.

[Rayna Wang · Rating 2 out of 5]

Parts of the book feel like self-help with generic principles.

[Peter Hundermark]

I doubt I can add to what others have already said about Jerry's work. These two books have helped me immensely in my own consulting work.