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Humble Consulting: How to Provide Real Help Faster
Consulting in Complex and Changing Times
Organizations face challenges today that are too messy and complicated for consultants to simply play doctor: run a few tests, offer a neat diagnosis of the "problem," and recommend a solution. Edgar Schein argues that consultants have to jettison the old idea of professional distance and work with their clients in a more personal way, emphasizing authentic openness, curiosity, and humility. Schein draws deeply on his own decades of experience, offering over two dozen case studies that illuminate each stage of this humble consulting process. Just as he did with Process Consultation nearly fifty years ago, Schein has once again revolutionized the field, enabling consultants to be more genuinely helpful and vastly more effective.
Organizations face challenges today that are too messy and complicated for consultants to simply play doctor: run a few tests, offer a neat diagnosis of the "problem," and recommend a solution. Edgar Schein argues that consultants have to jettison the old idea of professional distance and work with their clients in a more personal way, emphasizing authentic openness, curiosity, and humility. Schein draws deeply on his own decades of experience, offering over two dozen case studies that illuminate each stage of this humble consulting process. Just as he did with Process Consultation nearly fifty years ago, Schein has once again revolutionized the field, enabling consultants to be more genuinely helpful and vastly more effective.
240 pages, Paperback
First published April 4, 2016
175 people are currently reading
749 people want to read
About the author
Edgar H. Schein
112 books201 followersEdgar Henry Schein is the Society of Sloan Fellows Professor of Management Emeritus and a Professor Emeritus at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Schein investigates organizational culture, process consultation, research process, career dynamics, and organization learning and change. In Career Anchors, third edition (Wiley, 2006), he shows how individuals can diagnose their own career needs and how managers can diagnose the future of jobs. His research on culture shows how national, organizational, and occupational cultures influence organizational performance (Organizational Culture and Leadership, fourth edition, 2010). In Process Consultation Revisited (1999) and Helping (2009), he analyzes how consultants work on problems in human systems and the dynamics of the helping process. Schein has written two cultural case studies—“Strategic Pragmatism: The Culture of Singapore’s Economic Development Board” (MIT Press, 1996) and “DEC is Dead; Long Live DEC” (Berett-Kohler, 2003). His Corporate Culture Survival Guide, second edition (Jossey-Bass, 2009) tells managers how to deal with culture issues in their organizations.
Schein holds a BPhil from the University of Chicago, a BA and an MA in social psychology from Stanford University, and a PhD in social psychology from Harvard University.
From:http://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/detai...
Schein investigates organizational culture, process consultation, research process, career dynamics, and organization learning and change. In Career Anchors, third edition (Wiley, 2006), he shows how individuals can diagnose their own career needs and how managers can diagnose the future of jobs. His research on culture shows how national, organizational, and occupational cultures influence organizational performance (Organizational Culture and Leadership, fourth edition, 2010). In Process Consultation Revisited (1999) and Helping (2009), he analyzes how consultants work on problems in human systems and the dynamics of the helping process. Schein has written two cultural case studies—“Strategic Pragmatism: The Culture of Singapore’s Economic Development Board” (MIT Press, 1996) and “DEC is Dead; Long Live DEC” (Berett-Kohler, 2003). His Corporate Culture Survival Guide, second edition (Jossey-Bass, 2009) tells managers how to deal with culture issues in their organizations.
Schein holds a BPhil from the University of Chicago, a BA and an MA in social psychology from Stanford University, and a PhD in social psychology from Harvard University.
From:http://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/detai...
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 20, 2020
The book has two parts.
PART I
An explanation of why this book is relevant:
- the world is moving too fast and the consulting problems have become too complex to apply the traditional ‘doctor role’ of observing, diagnosing, finding a root cause and proposing a solution
- problems should be solved instead by the client and the consultant together
- therefore the relationship between client and consultant should be less distant and more personal than it used to be
There are 5 types of relationships with regard to the level of personalization:
Level -1 -> negative relationships, such as between a prisoner and a guard, or a slave and a slave holder
Level 0 -> neutral relationships, such as between occasional passengers or in traffic
Level 1 -> professional relationships of the “doctor-patient’ kind
Level 2 -> personal professional relationships, such as between the ‘humble consultant’ and the client, where there is a high level of openness and trust
Level 3 -> close family or romantic relationships
So what we need is a level 2 relationship between consultant and client.
This could have been explained in one or two pages, but the author goes on and on, using metaphor after metaphor.
PART II
Just when I was about to give up, the author starts to provide examples. It turns out he has a wealth of experience in consulting companies and organizations all over the world.
He shares many examples of successful and less successful consulting assignments, wrapping up each example with lessons learned.
I found this part very instructional, especially as I recently started a consulting practice after a long working life as a corporate employee.
My humble advice: skip the first chapters and enjoy the examples.
PART I
An explanation of why this book is relevant:
- the world is moving too fast and the consulting problems have become too complex to apply the traditional ‘doctor role’ of observing, diagnosing, finding a root cause and proposing a solution
- problems should be solved instead by the client and the consultant together
- therefore the relationship between client and consultant should be less distant and more personal than it used to be
There are 5 types of relationships with regard to the level of personalization:
Level -1 -> negative relationships, such as between a prisoner and a guard, or a slave and a slave holder
Level 0 -> neutral relationships, such as between occasional passengers or in traffic
Level 1 -> professional relationships of the “doctor-patient’ kind
Level 2 -> personal professional relationships, such as between the ‘humble consultant’ and the client, where there is a high level of openness and trust
Level 3 -> close family or romantic relationships
So what we need is a level 2 relationship between consultant and client.
This could have been explained in one or two pages, but the author goes on and on, using metaphor after metaphor.
PART II
Just when I was about to give up, the author starts to provide examples. It turns out he has a wealth of experience in consulting companies and organizations all over the world.
He shares many examples of successful and less successful consulting assignments, wrapping up each example with lessons learned.
I found this part very instructional, especially as I recently started a consulting practice after a long working life as a corporate employee.
My humble advice: skip the first chapters and enjoy the examples.
July 8, 2019
Read along with Humble Leadership
The word itself does appeal in the context - humble and leadership is an excellent oxymoron that would seem to imply something extraneous to the typical image of a leader as someone who control, leads and holds power. In the context of consulting it would seem more fitting if you take consultancy as part of the scale that heads towards counselling and coaching. The tone of the book backs up this impression. Schein is an enthusiastic writer, convinced by the effectiveness and humilty of his own project. A lot of it sounds self-explanatory; the way he wishes leaders and consultants to act is, in essence, linked to basic human decency, manners and influences by, as he urges, a need to be helpful through curiousity and engagement with people. Not a bad premise. Yet the fact he writes something like this makes it clear that plenty of people in these positions are far from humble.
The style is, unfortunately, a little banal and lacking verve. It fits awkwardly between an academic style and dreary self-help. His favourite terms (Level Two relationships, for example) are repeated to death and, occasionally, sound like level-ups on a computer game. They are often simple terms but Schein over-simplifies the explanations. The details of exactly how such relationships can be forged and maintained is never really delved into deep enough. He tries to back-up his arguments through endless practical examples which often come across a little pompous, although he is, in the spirit of humilty, very self-critical. One can not fault him for practising what he preaches. In fact, practically, Humble Consulting could be very useful. The topic is a little strained, starting with "humble inquiry" and stretching it out to Humble Leadership. This second book is not as concise or effective as the first. The arguments are too well-trodden without actually explaning or revealing anything new.
Schein's book are not bad, but they are not explosively good or innovative as well. As a refreshing take on roles that are not normally associated with modest behaviour, the shout out for humilty isn't, however, without certain merit and plenty of good intention. 4
The word itself does appeal in the context - humble and leadership is an excellent oxymoron that would seem to imply something extraneous to the typical image of a leader as someone who control, leads and holds power. In the context of consulting it would seem more fitting if you take consultancy as part of the scale that heads towards counselling and coaching. The tone of the book backs up this impression. Schein is an enthusiastic writer, convinced by the effectiveness and humilty of his own project. A lot of it sounds self-explanatory; the way he wishes leaders and consultants to act is, in essence, linked to basic human decency, manners and influences by, as he urges, a need to be helpful through curiousity and engagement with people. Not a bad premise. Yet the fact he writes something like this makes it clear that plenty of people in these positions are far from humble.
The style is, unfortunately, a little banal and lacking verve. It fits awkwardly between an academic style and dreary self-help. His favourite terms (Level Two relationships, for example) are repeated to death and, occasionally, sound like level-ups on a computer game. They are often simple terms but Schein over-simplifies the explanations. The details of exactly how such relationships can be forged and maintained is never really delved into deep enough. He tries to back-up his arguments through endless practical examples which often come across a little pompous, although he is, in the spirit of humilty, very self-critical. One can not fault him for practising what he preaches. In fact, practically, Humble Consulting could be very useful. The topic is a little strained, starting with "humble inquiry" and stretching it out to Humble Leadership. This second book is not as concise or effective as the first. The arguments are too well-trodden without actually explaning or revealing anything new.
Schein's book are not bad, but they are not explosively good or innovative as well. As a refreshing take on roles that are not normally associated with modest behaviour, the shout out for humilty isn't, however, without certain merit and plenty of good intention. 4
July 26, 2020
Let me start that idea is brilliant, and that's something I strongly believe in. The first few chapters are describing very well all essential elements that are building the whole thing.
Then we have a few chapters with examples and practice, and things start to be a little fuzzy. It's more about bragging (although some descriptions are precious and have hidden meaning).
Anyway, I think that beginning of the book and the whole idea is important, especially if you are struggling, and you are looking for inspiration in how to do it in a better way.
Then we have a few chapters with examples and practice, and things start to be a little fuzzy. It's more about bragging (although some descriptions are precious and have hidden meaning).
Anyway, I think that beginning of the book and the whole idea is important, especially if you are struggling, and you are looking for inspiration in how to do it in a better way.
November 16, 2018
This book was a confirmation of how I've been working for many years. If I hadn't been doing this for so long already, I might have given it five stars. It's clear, teaching big principles and specific examples on how to apply it. It's persuasive without being pushy. If you're a consultant (even an internal staff member whose job is to give advice) this is a good read.
March 11, 2025
The premise of this book is the idea that the consultant coming in like a doctor and providing a diagnosis and a solution is a model that just doesn’t work in complex situations, and giving people answers and telling them what to do will be less and less useful as the world, companies, and problems become more complex.
So, what to do instead? Act like a life coach. Come in with curiosity and compassion, and ask a lot of questions. Guide the client to finding their own solution. Sometimes ask leading questions that point to what you think might be the answer, but check your ego at the door, follow your intuition, and remember that you’re here to help.
In most cases, that can really only happen if you build some rapport with the client first. The author calls this a level 2 relationship, where level -1 is hostility or treating people as less than human, level 1 ranges from polite strangers to the kind of professional but superficial relationship you might have with a doctor or someone providing a service. Level 2 is closer than that, where you start to get to know each other personally, human to human, but not intimately. That’s level 3, which is where you’ll find close friends and lovers.
And why is a level 2 relationship so important? Because often the problem the client presents with is not the real problem, but in order to find the real problem and help the client come up with a solution, first there has to be enough trust that the client will talk things through with you and tell you the truth.
It’s very easy to get seduced by the content the client presents or the intervention they request, but that’s usually not a path that leads to the true solution. Instead, follow your intuition and ask lots of questions. Especially ask for examples. And charge for that first meeting, because often in talking things through with you, the client will get enough clarity to figure out the solution, so they won’t need to hire you further.
Beyond that, it’s all basically examples and twists on how to apply this.
This book was super interesting to me, because I was working with a new client who seemed to have hired me to be a consultant. I assumed that meant I looked at what they were doing and told them what to do instead to get better results. But I found that, when I told them what to do, they resisted doing it in every way possible. But they didn’t really know enough about what they were doing (as far as I could tell, anyway) to be able to tell themselves what to do.
Telling them what to do wasn’t working, but not telling them what to do also didn’t seem like it would work. So…?
I felt like this book gave me permission to act more as a coach than a consultant, so even though I still felt like I had to tell them what to do, I also started asking questions, following my intuition, deepening the relationship, and looking for ways I could be truly helpful.
Although it felt like an eternity, the bad part of this project was really only about two weeks. After a nightmare of a meeting, I started thinking about what was really bothering everyone and looking for solutions for that. The author would argue I was still thinking too much for them rather than with them, but it was good enough. I realized that, while the whole team was super stressed, my direct client was reaching critical levels of stress, and that was really the #1 thing to address, not any of the specifics of their project.
We were working on launching a new product, and launches are scary, especially the first time. Plus there were several personal-life crisis-level events for team members.
What I ended up doing that made the difference was sending her an email the day after the nightmare meeting, acknowledging and validating a lot of feelings that she had expressed, and asking how she was doing.
That turned everything around! She had been downright hostile to me at the meeting, but I guess she just really needed to feel heard and cared about. Once she did, she was happy to look for solutions, and everything became harmonious and happy.
I still think there are occasions when handing someone a solution makes sense, but I’m a believer that the human connection has to come first.
My main takeaways are:
- even if I’m hired in a consultant role, acting as a coach is still super powerful and maybe more important
- I think if I’m going to give a prescription or tell people what to do, I’m going to try asking first if they want me to. If they say no, then of course, there’s no point in doing it. But if they say yes, maybe they’ll have more buy-in.
- The ideal would be facilitating, or at worst co-creating, a strategy from/with the client. I’m still not sure how to do that with this client. But the author did say that the prescriptive approach can make sense for simple problems, and this really is a pretty simple problem.
Notes:
(In chapter 4)
Mass Audubon - wanted to organize a big fund-raising event, but wasn’t sure the extent to which board members and other volunteers were willing to put in the time and effort to make it happen. The author started the first meeting by going around the room and having everyone say from the heart why they belonged to Mass Audubon and what it meant to them—no discussion or interruptions until everyone had said their piece.
This was incredibly effective because it immediately became clear that everyone there was really into Mass Audubon (which answered the question) AND it was incredibly inspiring and helped everyone feel connected. They had all been in level 1 relationships before, but this moved them to level 2.
All this Big Why talk got everyone so inspired and in such high-vibe energy, they ended up repeating the process with all the groups/teams/levels they got involved with organizing the event.
(In chapter 6)
“The consultant can help the client (1) reformulate the problem, (2) rethink what hte client’s own role should be, and (3) rethink what the consultant should do. It is in these process areas that help can occur exceptionally rapidly, even in the very first conversation, because the reformulation may make the client realize that she now knows what to do.”
I had this book through Hoopla, but apparently the library won’t be offering it anymore after tonight. I’m glad I read it when I did.
So, what to do instead? Act like a life coach. Come in with curiosity and compassion, and ask a lot of questions. Guide the client to finding their own solution. Sometimes ask leading questions that point to what you think might be the answer, but check your ego at the door, follow your intuition, and remember that you’re here to help.
In most cases, that can really only happen if you build some rapport with the client first. The author calls this a level 2 relationship, where level -1 is hostility or treating people as less than human, level 1 ranges from polite strangers to the kind of professional but superficial relationship you might have with a doctor or someone providing a service. Level 2 is closer than that, where you start to get to know each other personally, human to human, but not intimately. That’s level 3, which is where you’ll find close friends and lovers.
And why is a level 2 relationship so important? Because often the problem the client presents with is not the real problem, but in order to find the real problem and help the client come up with a solution, first there has to be enough trust that the client will talk things through with you and tell you the truth.
It’s very easy to get seduced by the content the client presents or the intervention they request, but that’s usually not a path that leads to the true solution. Instead, follow your intuition and ask lots of questions. Especially ask for examples. And charge for that first meeting, because often in talking things through with you, the client will get enough clarity to figure out the solution, so they won’t need to hire you further.
Beyond that, it’s all basically examples and twists on how to apply this.
This book was super interesting to me, because I was working with a new client who seemed to have hired me to be a consultant. I assumed that meant I looked at what they were doing and told them what to do instead to get better results. But I found that, when I told them what to do, they resisted doing it in every way possible. But they didn’t really know enough about what they were doing (as far as I could tell, anyway) to be able to tell themselves what to do.
Telling them what to do wasn’t working, but not telling them what to do also didn’t seem like it would work. So…?
I felt like this book gave me permission to act more as a coach than a consultant, so even though I still felt like I had to tell them what to do, I also started asking questions, following my intuition, deepening the relationship, and looking for ways I could be truly helpful.
Although it felt like an eternity, the bad part of this project was really only about two weeks. After a nightmare of a meeting, I started thinking about what was really bothering everyone and looking for solutions for that. The author would argue I was still thinking too much for them rather than with them, but it was good enough. I realized that, while the whole team was super stressed, my direct client was reaching critical levels of stress, and that was really the #1 thing to address, not any of the specifics of their project.
We were working on launching a new product, and launches are scary, especially the first time. Plus there were several personal-life crisis-level events for team members.
What I ended up doing that made the difference was sending her an email the day after the nightmare meeting, acknowledging and validating a lot of feelings that she had expressed, and asking how she was doing.
That turned everything around! She had been downright hostile to me at the meeting, but I guess she just really needed to feel heard and cared about. Once she did, she was happy to look for solutions, and everything became harmonious and happy.
I still think there are occasions when handing someone a solution makes sense, but I’m a believer that the human connection has to come first.
My main takeaways are:
- even if I’m hired in a consultant role, acting as a coach is still super powerful and maybe more important
- I think if I’m going to give a prescription or tell people what to do, I’m going to try asking first if they want me to. If they say no, then of course, there’s no point in doing it. But if they say yes, maybe they’ll have more buy-in.
- The ideal would be facilitating, or at worst co-creating, a strategy from/with the client. I’m still not sure how to do that with this client. But the author did say that the prescriptive approach can make sense for simple problems, and this really is a pretty simple problem.
Notes:
(In chapter 4)
Mass Audubon - wanted to organize a big fund-raising event, but wasn’t sure the extent to which board members and other volunteers were willing to put in the time and effort to make it happen. The author started the first meeting by going around the room and having everyone say from the heart why they belonged to Mass Audubon and what it meant to them—no discussion or interruptions until everyone had said their piece.
This was incredibly effective because it immediately became clear that everyone there was really into Mass Audubon (which answered the question) AND it was incredibly inspiring and helped everyone feel connected. They had all been in level 1 relationships before, but this moved them to level 2.
All this Big Why talk got everyone so inspired and in such high-vibe energy, they ended up repeating the process with all the groups/teams/levels they got involved with organizing the event.
(In chapter 6)
“The consultant can help the client (1) reformulate the problem, (2) rethink what hte client’s own role should be, and (3) rethink what the consultant should do. It is in these process areas that help can occur exceptionally rapidly, even in the very first conversation, because the reformulation may make the client realize that she now knows what to do.”
I had this book through Hoopla, but apparently the library won’t be offering it anymore after tonight. I’m glad I read it when I did.
August 3, 2022
The main issue that I have with this book is the long-winded explanations that the author tends to give. While consulting may be in his wheelhouse, brevity is not.
My belief is that the book can be summarized into roughly three key points:
- Perform Active Listening
- Guide, not tell
- Be curious, and ask a lot of questions
There are a lot better books out there on how to do these things that do not involve the author self-indulging on his MIT days or how he would charge people money for his time because it's valuable. There also seems to be a negative bias towards engineering culture that would come through from time to time.
I would recommend "A More Beautiful Question" by Warren Berger to more effectively learn about curiosity. "Quiet Leadership" by Carlo Ancelotti is a good book on Active Listening and the art of guiding but not telling, though this last one is admittedly futbol/soccer centric.
My belief is that the book can be summarized into roughly three key points:
- Perform Active Listening
- Guide, not tell
- Be curious, and ask a lot of questions
There are a lot better books out there on how to do these things that do not involve the author self-indulging on his MIT days or how he would charge people money for his time because it's valuable. There also seems to be a negative bias towards engineering culture that would come through from time to time.
I would recommend "A More Beautiful Question" by Warren Berger to more effectively learn about curiosity. "Quiet Leadership" by Carlo Ancelotti is a good book on Active Listening and the art of guiding but not telling, though this last one is admittedly futbol/soccer centric.
June 18, 2022
Not a great book. I'm not sure what I was looking for but this wasn't really it. I think this was one of those books that you need to be looking for a really specific thing in order to get the most out of it. Maybe I wasn't in that place.
That said, I think the approach to consulting through humbleness is valid. It's also valid in nearly every industry and every aspect of life, so bringing it into consulting didn't strike me as anything ground breaking. It's basically just "meet people at their needs" as a method.
That said, I think the approach to consulting through humbleness is valid. It's also valid in nearly every industry and every aspect of life, so bringing it into consulting didn't strike me as anything ground breaking. It's basically just "meet people at their needs" as a method.
March 3, 2019
Schein terms his approach, "humble consulting," ie not jumping in with a toolset to start solving problems, but starting by developing a Level Two (empathetic) relationship and then using the art of diagnosis to really understand the client. Only then will you be able to help them in the way they *need* rather than merely in the way they ask.
February 21, 2023
Handbook to professors who consult CEOs and other C-level execs on some managerial business. They supposedly have done everything in a wrong, non-humble way. Until now, the author discovered being humble while being a consultant for the now defunct Digital Equipment Corporation who was famous for missing the microcomputer revolution and staying stuck in their mini-computers.
Author provides a scale of relationships, starting from -1, the unequal prisoner-guard, master-slave. Strive to be level 2 consultant who is humble, but tries to cultivate more personal relationship with the executives to gain any insight to the culture of the corporation. Maybe first sit in the meetings, listen, learn. Then suggest to create a new C-level position, or maybe a VP. Manage, lead! Consultant job done! Nothing revolutionary, rather obvious and unhelpful.
Author provides a scale of relationships, starting from -1, the unequal prisoner-guard, master-slave. Strive to be level 2 consultant who is humble, but tries to cultivate more personal relationship with the executives to gain any insight to the culture of the corporation. Maybe first sit in the meetings, listen, learn. Then suggest to create a new C-level position, or maybe a VP. Manage, lead! Consultant job done! Nothing revolutionary, rather obvious and unhelpful.
August 5, 2020
Schein basically describes his own development from academic expert to „humble“ process coach, emphasizing the importance of rapport and of letting the clients own both their problems and solutions. While the concept presented here is maybe not too new (humble consulting is very close to systemic coaching), his many case studies are really interesting to read. As in his earlier writings, I admire his sharp analysis even of big and embarassing traps he fell into - all for the sake of enabling his readers to learn from them.
August 9, 2021
This is an awesome book that is absolutely for leaders, managers, consultants, coaches and trainers.
The examples provided are outstanding, along with the "Lessons" from each case. The language is simplified. In many ways, the author makes the case that consultant will not know the culture and systems of the client completely to propose a definite solution.
I will be visiting the book many times in the future.
The examples provided are outstanding, along with the "Lessons" from each case. The language is simplified. In many ways, the author makes the case that consultant will not know the culture and systems of the client completely to propose a definite solution.
I will be visiting the book many times in the future.
March 10, 2024
I feel like this book is more about why you should be humble when approaching any situation in which you don’t have the full story, as opposed to be consulting-specific. Sure, I think the principals apply in consulting, but really it’s just how to be humble in any situation. The examples are interesting and I thought they provided strong evidence for approaching situations with a humble balance of professionalism and personalization.
January 25, 2023
This was the right book at the right time for me. I'm working on facilitating leadership workshops and so many of the concepts described in this book are going to help me fulfill that role so much better. As I said in my interim update, I started to read this book to build my understanding of the source material for a work project, and I'm so glad it will be helpful for other tasks as well.
Read
February 25, 2020Useful stuff. I like how Ed is so personable, introduces some useful concepts, and offers questions and insights for immediate and future application.
I listened to the audibook and the narrator was terrific.
I listened to the audibook and the narrator was terrific.
Read
December 31, 2021Very wise. I’m so grateful for Schein’s insight and legacy. He’s helped me a great deal and will continue to do so. The common-grace wisdom he offers constantly aligns with Scripture’s view of how wisdom is gained and how helping relationships work best.
November 13, 2025
Excellent book, very insightful and practical insights shared about relationships and the idea of creating a dialog with the purpose to deepen understanding rather than solve a problem. Will definitely use the advice shared here in my personal and professional life.
January 4, 2018
Useful beaucoup strongly connected and maybe ovelapping with Humble Inquiry from the samewriter.
Could have ben shorter
Could have ben shorter
May 5, 2019
Interesting ideas poorly presented.
May 28, 2019
A lot of useful insights and practical activities that are easy to start with.
June 10, 2024
Found the concepts useful, but examples were from such different sectors that it was hard at times to relate to them.
June 6, 2022
Very useful core philosophy, yet I struggle with some of the examples provided and whether they reflect our highest and best thinking on topics related to culture.
August 3, 2016
I work in software sales, and while my company also has a consulting arm, the roles we have in sales often overlap with our consultants, especially in the early stage of finding a solution to a customer’s problem. I figured that “Humble Consulting” would provide help in that overlapping area, and it does – by providing a different mindset to use when initiating contact with a prospective customer. The main lesson I learned from “Humble Consulting” is to approach customers with curiosity instead of with a canned pitch intended to winnow down a customer’s needs to some pre-determined set of products. Another major difference between Schein’s new approach and previous approaches is that the consultant should intend to fix what he can when he can, and he should not wait until a big-bang final report to a customer. While this could lower revenues, Schein believes the goodwill makes it worthwhile in the long run. Let’s hope so, he gives some examples of providing some value to customers during the initial meeting that eliminated some lucrative work by providing those customers a different point of view for their pressing problems.
If you enjoy backstage tell-all type business books, you get some inside stories here. Schein details some of the issues of the inner workings of DEC, especially Ken Olson personality issues. He also reports on a fellow consultant’s failed engagement with DEC based on forcing a traditional work product down their throats. The consultant, another Professor, is named and is described as being quite arrogant, through quotes and actions. Schein isn’t trying to make friends here.
RANT – Digital Equipment Company is 9 syllables long. As I understand things, with the goal of shortening the writing and saying of those 9 syllables an acronym is used, DEC. On audio in this book, the narrator consistently reads out the acronym by letter – “dee ee see”. That’s 3 syllables. Since the goal is to shorten things, wouldn’t you read those acronyms as a word if you could? I’ve always pronounced the company as “deck”, which is one syllable, and I almost always hear it pronounced that way. DEC is mentioned so often in this book pronouncing it as one syllable would have shortened the audiobook by quite a few minutes. Can’t audiobook producers get together to generate and follow some rules that enable this kind of obvious time savings? END RANT
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I think it will be useful, even if I only recall those few points above. Software sales is different enough from consulting sales that we can’t be in humble consulting mode all the time, but it makes sense, and I can see where the customers would likely be happier.
If you enjoy backstage tell-all type business books, you get some inside stories here. Schein details some of the issues of the inner workings of DEC, especially Ken Olson personality issues. He also reports on a fellow consultant’s failed engagement with DEC based on forcing a traditional work product down their throats. The consultant, another Professor, is named and is described as being quite arrogant, through quotes and actions. Schein isn’t trying to make friends here.
RANT – Digital Equipment Company is 9 syllables long. As I understand things, with the goal of shortening the writing and saying of those 9 syllables an acronym is used, DEC. On audio in this book, the narrator consistently reads out the acronym by letter – “dee ee see”. That’s 3 syllables. Since the goal is to shorten things, wouldn’t you read those acronyms as a word if you could? I’ve always pronounced the company as “deck”, which is one syllable, and I almost always hear it pronounced that way. DEC is mentioned so often in this book pronouncing it as one syllable would have shortened the audiobook by quite a few minutes. Can’t audiobook producers get together to generate and follow some rules that enable this kind of obvious time savings? END RANT
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I think it will be useful, even if I only recall those few points above. Software sales is different enough from consulting sales that we can’t be in humble consulting mode all the time, but it makes sense, and I can see where the customers would likely be happier.
February 19, 2017
Despite the occasional labored writing style, this is an wise (and indeed) book about asking good questions and stepping in in the minutest of ways to provide real help as a consultant -- an area I'm stepping into for work. I can't help but feel that there's a bit of Schein magic to all this that would be difficult to recreate. But, dammit, I'm going to try!
May 4, 2023
Monthly Bookworm Challenge - May 2023.
When I skimmed through my reading list a while ago, I realised how rarely I read books that are directly relevant for my job. Luckily, „Humble Consulting“ has been waiting on my shelf for a long time since my former boss recommended it to me. When I set out for a work trip to Brussels, it seemed like the perfect companion.
Edgar Schein was a swiss-american organisational psychologist, management consultant and Professor at MIT. In „Humble Consulting“, he presents his main hypotheses regarding what effective consulting (or help in general) should look like in difficult, complex, non-technical environments. He underlines his arguments with an array of case studies from his experience in consulting.
First, Schein recommends establishing a „Level Two“ relationship between consultant and client - close enough to build trust and depend on each other yet still professional. Second, consultants shouldn‘t help clients because of self-interest, but due to genuine curiosity and willingness to help. Third, consultants should rarely make „diagnoses“ but ask more questions, especially in order to identify the true underlying issue. Fourth, Schein recommends small, adaptive moves instead of great transformations, in line with the now widely used agile methodology.
Unfortunately, these ideas are not really new but instead quite established nowadays. Also, they could‘ve been summarised in a short article instead of a whole book if it wasn‘t for the case studies. These often didn‘t really add much more insight though but rather confused the message. The book might therefore be an ok starting point for people new to consulting (especially if they‘re interested in cultural change issues). For me, it didn‘t really add much value.
When I skimmed through my reading list a while ago, I realised how rarely I read books that are directly relevant for my job. Luckily, „Humble Consulting“ has been waiting on my shelf for a long time since my former boss recommended it to me. When I set out for a work trip to Brussels, it seemed like the perfect companion.
Edgar Schein was a swiss-american organisational psychologist, management consultant and Professor at MIT. In „Humble Consulting“, he presents his main hypotheses regarding what effective consulting (or help in general) should look like in difficult, complex, non-technical environments. He underlines his arguments with an array of case studies from his experience in consulting.
First, Schein recommends establishing a „Level Two“ relationship between consultant and client - close enough to build trust and depend on each other yet still professional. Second, consultants shouldn‘t help clients because of self-interest, but due to genuine curiosity and willingness to help. Third, consultants should rarely make „diagnoses“ but ask more questions, especially in order to identify the true underlying issue. Fourth, Schein recommends small, adaptive moves instead of great transformations, in line with the now widely used agile methodology.
Unfortunately, these ideas are not really new but instead quite established nowadays. Also, they could‘ve been summarised in a short article instead of a whole book if it wasn‘t for the case studies. These often didn‘t really add much more insight though but rather confused the message. The book might therefore be an ok starting point for people new to consulting (especially if they‘re interested in cultural change issues). For me, it didn‘t really add much value.
December 4, 2016
Second book I've read by Schein. He demonstrates how as consultants/coaches/leaders to not consult in the role of expert or doctor (providing expert info, services, diagnoses and prescriptions) but rather to be a partner/helper and enable the client to figure out what makes sense. This requires humility, and the 3 Cs - Commitment to helping, caring for the client and curiosity. Relationship with client needs to be based on trust and mutual expectations. This is a joint responsibility and needed to have true caring for the client. Lots of case studies - good for anybody in a role to help either internally or externally to an organization.
July 8, 2016
Great book
Humble Consulting the author has adapted his research from his other book Helping and Humble Inquiry and made adaptive moves to refine the work with real life examples and the lessons learned. This book is a great resource for helping to develop an organizational culture that thrives in an atmosphere of mutual trust and teamwork. The techniques are based on the spirit of inquiry and dialog that actual designs better ways of working cohesively. In short I love this book and Edgar Schein's other books as well.
Humble Consulting the author has adapted his research from his other book Helping and Humble Inquiry and made adaptive moves to refine the work with real life examples and the lessons learned. This book is a great resource for helping to develop an organizational culture that thrives in an atmosphere of mutual trust and teamwork. The techniques are based on the spirit of inquiry and dialog that actual designs better ways of working cohesively. In short I love this book and Edgar Schein's other books as well.
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