No negotiating with consulting terrorists 

I’ve worked with a wide range of consultants.  Some great, some acceptable, some that needed to be replaced. 

But the worst are the terrorists. Folks who won’t show, share or document their work. Who insist that only they can do a given task.  

That’s not consulting. That’s extortion 

Intellectual property needs to be respected.  But most terrorists don’t have any really great knowledge. They just want job security. 

Great consultants want to make their clients smarter. 

And want to make sure that the client can function without out them. 

This does not mean that consultants are obligated to train your staff.  If no one on your staff knows SQL, they’re not really going to understand a complex query. 

It does mean that they do things in a way that other knowledgeable people can follow in their footsteps. So that the company isn’t stuck if the consultant isn’t around. 

And if they won’t do that, it’s time to find a different alternative. No matter how smart they are.