xxiii
Introduction
◾ What is Odyssey and how does it work?
◾ What is the best way to make use of this book?
The Odyssey Concept
The Odyssey is one of the two major ancient Greek epic poems (the other
being The Iliad), attributed to the poet Homer. The poem is commonly
dated between 800 and 600 BC. It is partially a sequel to The Iliad and con-
cerns the events that befall the Greek hero Odysseus in his long and adven-
turous journey back to his native land, Ithaca, after the fall of Troy.
We chose the “Odyssey” metaphor because the quest to join the highest
echelons of the consulting world mirrors many of the themes found in this,
one of the oldest surviving stories in civilization.
◾ Spiritual growth is brought on by good times and bad times, temptations,
distractions, and triumphs throughout Odysseus’ ten-year journey.
◾ Loyalty is a major theme in The Odyssey. Odysseus’ supporters
remained devoted to him although he had been away for two decades.
◾ Perseverance is one of the hero’s core characteristics. Despite the many
seemingly insurmountable obstacles that he encounters on his journey
back, he is steadfast and determined and never allows his dedication to
his goal to waver.
◾ The importance of hospitality arises frequently in the Odyssey legend.
It is what makes travel possible and gives travellers respite in a world
beset by difficulties and challenges.
xxiv ◾ Introduction
We are confident that the Odyssey consulting process will stimulate your
quest for wisdom, truth, and knowledge, and that it will help you achieve
your personal and professional purpose with passion and success.
Strategies to Manage, Grow, and Transform
Your Consulting Business
Running a successful consulting practice is one of the toughest challenges
in business today. Consulting is one of the fastest-growing sectors, owing to
the speed of change in the corporate world and the ongoing redefinition of
employment, career, and retirement criteria.
Running a consulting business differs markedly from running a con-
ventional business. Implementing best practice consulting processes and
methodologies—across business models that are constantly changing—
requires special skills, abilities, and capacities along with focus and per-
sistence to deliver masterful results.
Odyssey—The Business of Consulting is the result of twenty-five years of
dedication to develop a system that gives independent consulting practices
and small consulting firms the processes, methodologies, and tools to oper-
ate successfully right across the globe. The primary focus of this process
is on marketing, selling, positioning, and building a profitable consulting
business.
Odyssey is a journey to becoming a leading edge practitioner. It teaches
you to transfer the best practice theory relevant to client needs while
empowering them to solve their own problems. Odyssey strategies have
prompted hundreds of business leaders and consultants alike to rethink their
approach to creating business advantage.
How This Book Is Organized
Odyssey—The Business of Consulting is divided into seven chapters, each
of which presents a particular aspect of the Odyssey process. These chap-
ters build into a comprehensive exploration of the leading edge consulting
system at work in the world today. Each chapter includes two or more case
studies, which illustrate Odyssey in action, and concludes with a series of
calls to action designed to help you benchmark Odyssey with your own
business of consulting.
Introduction ◾ xxv
Chapter 1, The Consultant’s Growth Path, looks at how a successful
consultant builds a sustainable career and business by working through the
levels and stages of the Odyssey process. We examine the four levels of the
consulting model and explore a consultant’s development from a variety of
differing perspectives.
Chapter 2 introduces one of the most important concepts in the consul-
tant’s Odyssey. The Odyssey Arrow is a step-by-step presentation of the path
to the ultimate Odyssey goal, which is to engage with your Ideal Clients on
key assignments to deliver superb value and to produce masterful results.
The Odyssey Arrow is the business development and value building system
in the Odyssey process and provides practical guidelines for everything from
attracting prospective clients through to delivering a Level 3 and Level 4
organizational intervention.
Chapter 3 examines the integration stages of the Odyssey Arrow. It con-
tinues the case study used to introduce the process in the previous chapter
and reveals the series of well-defined steps and corresponding actions that
allow you to manage a consulting assignment all the way through to its
completion.
Chapter 4 is all about applying a client-centered value creation strategy.
We examine how new techniques of consultative selling have radically
altered the relationship between the client and the consultant. We also
explore eight practical strategies for increasing revenues in your consult-
ing business, discuss six different consulting perspectives, and examine ten
options for intervening in the client organization.
In Chapter 5, we look at ways of assessing the metrics that govern profit,
and we examine fee setting and the primacy of results-based consulting.
Critically, we demonstrate how to shift your thinking to generate higher
fees and drive greater profitability. Your primary aim is to generate profits
to achieve the greatest possible return on your time, energy, and invested
capital.
Chapter 6 explores the Odyssey consultant mind-set. We look at how
you define and measure success as a professional advisor and show how to
calibrate your own success in a holistic way. Harnessing the power of posi-
tive psychology is central to cultivating the Odyssey consultant mind-set.
In addition, embracing personal responsibility and understanding the wider
applications of the responsibility issue provide a foundation for so much of
the work that successful consultants do.
Chapter 7 contains a series of reflections on the Odyssey process and how it
has affected the lives and businesses of a diverse range of Odyssey graduates.
xxvi ◾ Introduction
Five Tips to Get the Most Out of This Book
1. Make a decision to be the best you can be in your chosen profession.
2. Compare, evaluate, and benchmark your own current activities with
topics presented in each chapter.
3. Answer the “Calls to Action” in each chapter.
4. Determine to implement three to six ideas, techniques, or strategies that
are relevant for you within three days of reading.
5. Remember, action orientation is a personal leadership trait and consult-
ing competency. Take massive and immediate action on at least one big
challenge that is limiting your progress. As one of our graduates says,
“Get on with it!”
Bibliography
Homer. (1912). P. G. Herbert (trans.). The Odyssey (Barnes & Noble Classics Series).
New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
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