The Consultant's Calling, two audiocassettes / two hours total: Bringing Who You Are to What You Do (Jossey-Bass Management Series) [Paperback]

Geoffrey M. Bellman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1555424112 | ISBN-13: 978-1555424114 | Publication Date: 1990 | Edition: 1

A selection of the Executive Program Book ClubFor anyone who wants to know what consulting is really like as a career, as a living, as a way of life. This book shows you how to make consulting rewarding--both financially and personally. You'll learn about the practical issues of managing time, clients, money-as well as broader concerns, such as how to balance work with family life.

The Consultant's Calling covers:
• The consultant as leader
• The work consultants do and how they do it
• The formula for a strong consultant-client partnership
• Making your way in the marketplace

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If Will Rogers had given attention to the consulting profession, this is the book he would have written." —from the foreword by Peter Block

Review

Praise for the First Edition

"Taps into our feelings about our work, but it also makes definite suggestions to improve our craft as consultants. It helped me, even though I have twenty-nine years of experience as a consultant."
— Journal of Management Consulting

"The best book for [people who are trying to determine whether] consulting is for them."
— T & D

"A triumph of goodwill, wisdom, and a kind of humble Midwestern practicality. If Will Rogers had given attention to the consulting profession, this is the book he would have written."
— Peter Block, author of Flawless Consulting

"I must have a couple of dozen colleagues who shouldn't go another day without this book. Bellman has found a way to portray consulting as a way of life rather than just an abstract function. Here it all is-what we enjoy and exult in, and what we ponder, anguish, and whisper about. You will already know Geoff-the-Consultant: He is yourself."
— Peter Vaill, author of Managing as a Performing Art

"A wonderful book for people who want to test the waters of consulting, as well as for those who are looking to affirm their role as consultant but want to enhance their impact with clients and their own lives."
— David B. Wagner, Mercer Delta Consulting

"All my life, as a girl, as a professional consultant and now a retired elder I have shaped myself to be able to answer the internal question: Am I truly making a difference in the world? Am I truly living my beliefs through the contributions? And one day, some years ago I found Geoff Bellman and The Consultant's Calling. I wanted to shout out loud in my room, 'Yes that's it! That's what it's all about!' It affirmed for me everything I believed . . . .and we need affirmation with regularity, because it's often lonely out there. This book has been an inspiration for me and the most important part of reading it over and over is that it affirms what's best in me and my work. Thank you for being there, Geoff."
— Kathie Dannemiller, consultant and author of Collaborating for Change

"Geoff Bellman, you wrote my song! I laughed and cried and hummed as I sang The Consultant's Calling. It left me feeling affirmed for who I am, empowered with what I could be, guilty for what I choose not to face, skilled with what I can now do, and clearly convinced that I am living my work on purpose."
— Chip Bell, management consultant and author of Clients and Consultants

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555424112
• ISBN-13: 978-1555424114
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,725,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Over forty years, I've seen organizations and work from many angles. I've been a corporate manager, struggling with life in the middle of that muddle; my first book, THE QUEST FOR STAFF LEADERSHIP, grew out of that. My years as a consultant resulted in THE CONSULTANTS CALLING. My decades long love/hate relationship with organizations was put between the covers of THE BEAUTY OF THE BEAST: BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO ORGANIZATIONS. Watching my clients (and myself)aspire to greatness within companies controlled by others-not-me led to GETTING THINGS DONE WHEN YOU ARE NOT IN CHARGE. And along the way I was living my own life, leading to YOUR SIGNATURE PATH: GAINING NEW PERSPECTIVES ON LIFE AND WORK.

My most recent book, EXTRAORDINARY GROUPS: HOW ORDINARY TEAMS ACHIEVE AMAZING RESULTS, was written with consultant and friend, Kathleen Ryan. We share a fascination with teams, families, committees, crews, and groups that perform beyond everyone's expectations. What allows that to happen??? We decided to find out, interviewed people from sixty quite different groups, and came to conclusions that surprised even us! All of this--and what to do about it--is explored in EXTRAORDINARY GROUPS.

Like many of us, I do my best work when I have a chance to step back and reflect before taking action. My books come out of reflection. My writing process begins with a conversation between myself and my screen, capturing my current fascinations. No outline, no subject really, just reflecting and writing to myself. This results in 200-300 hundred pages before my writing energy is spent. Then, I print it out and read it for the first time. What am I talking about??? I'm usually surprised at how many useless and useful thoughts I can generate. The useful thoughts provide bones for the skeletal structure on my thinking; it usually just emerges. I often don't know what "animal" these bones will form. And, of course, some bones are missing and some I have too many of. I begin to be intentional about what I'm creating, and am still five or six drafts away from what reaches you.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for service professionals, January 30, 2003

By 

Colleen Cayes "tallredhead" (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Consultant's Calling: Bringing Who You Are to What You Do, New and Revised (Paperback)

If you "help others with what they need and want," you will treasure this book and re-read it every year for a "tune-up." How do you create integrity in your work, bring honor to the profession, and gain your client's trust and gratitude? The author believes our best service to clients is accomplished through consciousness of self, and he calls on those of us with "radical hearts and pin-striped suits" to lead clients by our example to have the courage to implement our recommendations and thereby fulfill their organization's needs and our own. He says we must make our "values and viewpoints" evident to clients so they know they're buying a human being's integrity and expertise, and he walks his talk on every page. Most valuable to me is his clear insight into the mind and heart of the client, the person across the table who's hiring me. I have 10 years of consulting experience and am now building a practice in a new area, and this book gave me (1) practical advice on getting clients and making money, updated for today's marketplace and client expectations; (2) an inspiring reminder of how valuable I am to my clients and (3) a role model for creating a life for myself with contribution, friendship, and integrity at its center. Read this book if you are a coaching professional, management consultant, dentist, attorney, financial advisor, personal trainer, or any other client-focused service professional.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Significantly fresh and new. Affirming and Inspiring !, December 20, 2001

By 

Kathie Dannemiller (Michigan, author of Whole Scale Change (TM): Unleasing the Magic in Organizations) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Consultant's Calling: Bringing Who You Are to What You Do, New and Revised (Paperback)

"All my life, as a girl, as a professional consultant and now as a retired elder I have shaped myself to be able to answer the internal question: 'Am I truly making a difference in the world? Am I truly living my beliefs through the contributions?' And one day, some years ago I found Geoff Bellman and The Consultant's Calling. I wanted to shout out loud in my room, " Yes, that's it! That's what it's all about!" It affirmed for me everything I believed... and we need affirmation with regularity, because it's often lonely out there. This book has been an inspiration for me and the most important part of reading it over and over is that it affirms what's best in me and my work. It was relevant and spoke to me then as it does now. Reaquaint yourself with the new edition of Consultant's Calling. It's a gem."

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful book on consulting as a life mission, July 14, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Consultant's Calling, two audiocassettes / two hours total: Bringing Who You Are to What You Do (Jossey-Bass Management Series) (Paperback)

Best book on consulting I've read; it helps frame what one can bring *as a person* to a consulting career. Completely different context then the usual "make $200k a year as a consultant from your own home" books. I'm buying a copy for me, and one for a friend who is just entering the field.