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.