The Art of Consulting
by Jose Herrera

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“WE ARE ALL CONSULTANTS one way or another—most people just haven’t realized that yet. Anyone providing knowledgeable advice or services to others, independently of their profession, is a consultant. There are certain characteristics that we must all nurture to become better at establishing a relationship with our clients to serve them successfully.” From knowing yourself and developing common sense, to negotiating skills, client care, a professional presence, and leadership, this book covers it all. Regardless of your industry or years of experience, this book will help your career. It focuses on the consultant in you, and is aimed at generating ways to grow based on your specific circumstances, location, and culture. With hundreds of tips, checklists, and self-evaluation tools to drive the self-learning home, this book will help readers find motivation and inspiration within themselves, while maintaining a business-centric perspective. This approach will entice the reader to explore new ideas and guidelines that will improve their professional performance as consultants, while adhering to the culture of their clients and developing a solution focused perspective.

www.edriven.ca

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"Jose Herrera ‘practices what he preaches’ and have shared some excellent lessons learned throughout his career as a Consultant. He encourages readers to be creative as this allows them to be innovative and progressive towards there deliverable and help them attain making value for the project and themselves. He has done exceptionally well in highlighting some straightforward concepts which are most of the times overlooked in this busy world. This book is a must read!" Jharna Sukhani, Data and Analytics Specialist, Canada "I had a great experience reading this book. Consulting is a hard topic to write about due to the complexity of the matter, while this book has successfully accomplished this endeavor. The content is well structured and provides sufficient depth to both experienced consultants and starting professionals. It is easy to relate to the book topics owing to the plethora of situational and practical examples. I would recommend this book to any consultant regardless of the proficiency levels or industry as it provides an insight into dealing with potential challenges in the consultancy world." Mark Shteinberg, Data Management Lead, Canada "Reading The Art of Consulting actually returned me to some past stories of mine, but this time instead of some random occurrence of an event, I saw the clear causality of such event. The book is easy to read and can be really valuable for professionals that want to ramp up their consulting skills. It was a pleasure and honor to be part of the reviewers of Mr. Herrera’s book." Pavel Pavlov, Chief Technology Officer at HyperAspect, Bulgaria "Common sense and positive habits are key and the foundation to become successful consultants. In this book, Jose describes examples that do not only make us think about what we somehow get involved on a day to day basis, but also generates the awareness of all those positive or negative behaviors in ourselves that sometimes we don’t notice. The most substantial part is that Jose also shares in this book the concepts and guidance to recognize our room for improvement and start working on them. I had the opportunity to work with Jose directly, and this book accurately exhibits what he is, an excellent consultant and who I personally consider, my career mentor. A must-read for anyone who wants to become more assertive and efficient consultant, and one who is also willing to learn from others’ experiences. Easy to read and highlights the importance of self-reflecting, learning and continuously adjusting our skills for the better." Ofelia Giles, Solution Architect, Canada "As a long-term consultant inclined to allow my work to speak for itself, I was inspired by Mr. Herrera’s unflinchingly honest, motivational tour de force to speak for myself: to embrace my inner saleswoman, to challenge my time-tested maxims, and, ultimately, to evolve into my best personal and professional self. Blending workplace scenarios and childhood memories with actionable tips, Mr. Herrera provides a significant marketing tool for those who sell their services. The Art of Consulting is an engrossing read, applicable to all consultants wanting to move their path forward with integrity, grit, and flair." Lisa Shipka, Technical Writer, Business Analyst, and Content Strategist, Canada "Success in consulting is far more than just strong technical skills. Jose analyses those all-important soft skills and puts context around why we do what we do, sharing his thoughts and experience in an engaging, conversational style. A fine read for consultants, whether just starting out or with 20+ years experience." Glenn Hoskins, Senior Engineering Manager, London, United Kingdom "I have the privilege to personally know Jose, and I am so happy that he decided to write this book and share his immense knowledge with the world. He may not be the perfect consultant as he says so in this book, but he is so darn close. As I was reading through this informative guide, full of lessons learned over the span of his 30-year career, I kept highlighting essential statements and sections that sparked “Aha!” and “Hmm!” moments. The number of bookmarks I made suggests that every chapter offers a valuable lesson that is worth spending the time to read it, understand it, and embrace it. The readers can use this book as a checklist to evaluate their skills and learn how to become better consultants." Biljana Trajkovska, Integration Consultant, Canada "Analyzing, documenting, and adjusting based on every experience, more accurate words are hard to find. As a core idea in this book, avoiding being knowledge-stale is essential in maintaining customer satisfaction and a growing career in consulting." Aurora Espinosa, Senior Business Intelligence and Analytics Consultant, Canada "While I have been a Project Management Professional for many years and have worked with many consultants from different backgrounds, I have never been a consultant myself, until now. I have been given the honor to preview this book, and I can confidently say that anyone can benefit from reading it and learn at least a thing or two about consulting, if not more; I certainly learned a lot. Jose’s personal story is genuinely moving, and the simple way with which he describes the consulting discipline makes the material not only easy to digest but easy to relate. It is evident that he has extensive experience and is passionate about the subject and teaching it to others. He has extensively outlined all the needed traits and necessary steps a person should take to be successful in the field, regardless of industry, and he has provided real-life examples with real people. In short, this book is inspirational, applicable, and relatable and I look forward to it getting published so I can recommend it to others." Stiliana Petkova, Project Management Professional, United States of America "Fascinating, intriguing and compelling!!! I was skeptical at first that the content of a manuscript titled The Art of Consulting would interest or relate to an educator like myself, but I soon realized that the reader’s profession had little relevance to the content itself because the material was brilliantly designed and written to relate to anyone in a consulting role. Not only were the ideas and suggestions thought-provoking and compelling, but the book illustrated how the skills required to be a great consultant were relatable to so many aspects of being an instructor. The book successfully interrelates a set of attitude, skills, and knowledge that are drawn upon and applied to a particular context for successful learning and living, allowing people to unlock their potentials." Jojo Hsu, Instructor, Masters in Arts, English Literature; Canada "In the age of the gig economy where more and more people partake in the delivery of technology and business solutions from everywhere, Jose’s book is a must read. It provides a solid platform that helps navigate corporate environments while upholding core tenants of professional conduct and customer service." Florin Ibrani, CEO, Concord Professional Services, United States of America "Whether you’ve been in consulting for a long time or are just starting, you will find the guidelines described in this book very useful in your day-to-day activities. Mr. Herrera’s experience is something that anyone in any industry could benefit from. I discovered areas of improvement in my negotiation skills and how to develop new capabilities. If you aim to improve your consulting services, this book is a must-read." Alejandro Rivera, DevOps Engineer, Mexico "This is an extremely readable work, which gives a great deal of valuable perspective that experienced consultants will immediately recognize as hard-won truths. The information is presented in a way that both challenges and encourages the reader; even a seasoned consultant will recognize valuable insights into their strengths and weaknesses, and readers of all backgrounds are given tools to work to improve themselves and their work. There are also personal touches which enhance the credibility of the author’s perspectives without becoming indulgent. Highly recommended." Noah Couture, Managing Director at Couture Consulting, Vietnam "Mr. Herrera has collated in a book what every consultant, or future consultant, needs to know, practice, exercise and live by, no matter what industry an individual may operate in. This book provides easy-to-read guides and examples, and more importantly, makes you want you to read the next chapter to understand the consulting lifecycle and thought-process completely." Jose R. Fuentes, P.Eng., MBA, Senior Project Manager, Engineering and Consulting, Canada "This book can be a valuable resource for consultants at every stage in their career. Jose Herrera advises “Know ourselves, our background, our capabilities, education, skills, knowledge, and experience. We must understand that all of those qualities are unique in the world and that there is nobody else out there with the same background, experience or capabilities.” The well-organized and cohesive writing lends to this being a perfect “go-to resource” for all consultants. I value the advice and mentorship of Jose, and while Jose doesn’t fit in my purse, this book does." Jessica Barnes, M.Sc. MBA. General Manager, Information Technology Projects, Canada

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Jose Herrera runs his own consulting firm, edriven (www.edriven.ca), which offers a variety of professional services in this field of practice. Through his years as a consultant, he has nurtured partnerships and alliances with organizations and industry leaders around the world. He holds a master’s degree, provides mentoring to multiple individuals worldwide, has written several articles, and has been interviewed on television and radio. Having worked in consulting for several decades, he felt it was time to pass on his knowledge to the next generation. Mr. Herrera lives with his son in Canada. They plan to relocate soon to explore business and career opportunities in other parts of the world, while always continuing their education. They enjoy pursuing various recreational pastimes together, including video games, martial arts and firearms training, and traveling. Jose also enjoys analyzing chess games and playing a friendly game of nine-ball pool while enjoying a glass of wine and good conversation.

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Contributors

Author

Jose Herrera

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