If a consultant’s idea is SMALL, they’ll hide the detail behind case studies and vague “our productivity increased X%”-type testimonials. And they’ll turn a 10-page memo into 200 unhelpful 5″ x 7″ pages so it’s the “right size” according to their publisher.
But if an idea is BIG, the author will lay it all out there, confident that people will think, “Oh man, I need some help with this. We need to hire that guy. What’s his phone number?”
UPDATE August 11th: David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done, reveals him to be a prime example of two things:
- A consultant with a novel, genuine, BIG idea;
- A consultant confident enough in the scope of his idea that he knows publishing it will lead to more business, not less.
