Alan Weiss

In today’s volatile business environment, professionals face relentless pressures that erode confidence and self-esteem. Too often, worth is confused with performance—rising with each “victory” and collapsing with every “defeat.” This book challenges that cycle, showing how true self-esteem can remain steady, resilient, and empowering without tipping into arrogance or slipping into impostor syndrome. Drawing on proven techniques, it demonstrates how resilience means bouncing forward from setbacks rather than retreating, and how self-worth must be distinguished from efficacy. By breaking free from herd mentalities, external validation, and self-doubt, leaders and teams can reclaim their autonomy, project confidence, and thrive in times of disruption. The methodology outlined here equips readers to: Gain rapid acceptance of ideas and accelerate career growth in any organizational setting Improve health and well-being by reducing stress, guilt, and fear Achieve greater success in entrepreneurial ventures, partnerships, and solo practices Develop a clear, independent perspective on business and the world Build trust in one’s own judgment, enabling faster, more confident decision-making This book is a practical guide to cultivating self-esteem as the foundation of resilience, adaptability, and leadership. It empowers professionals not just to survive change -- but to lead it.

The aspiring consultant’s blueprint for earning six, seven, or eight figures each year The Fifth Edition of Getting Started in Consulting is an in-depth guide to succeed as a consultant in today’s rapidly changing world and earn six, seven, or eight figures annually. Written by legendary author Alan Weiss, this book provides a roadmap to develop essential personal traits to excel in the industry—high self-esteem, resilience, agility, fearlessness, innovation, language ability, accountability, discipline, and success over perfection—and delivers the marketing and implementation techniques you’ll need for rapid success. The book is divided into three parts—Past, Present, and Future—to enable readers to set a foundation for growth, get the most out of their day-to-day, and anticipate and plan for bigger and better things to come. Readers will find expert insights on how to: Talk to anyone at any time (the L-D-R-B method) Apply “marketing gravity,” close a sale, set fees, and create proposals that are accepted every time Create intellectual property and leverage your intellectual capital Engage in “shameless self-promotion” effectively and extricate yourself from the crowd and social media With over 90% new material, this Fifth Edition of Getting Started in Consulting is the lift ticket to get up the mountain—an essential guide for all new consultants looking to learn from one of the greatest minds in the history of the profession.

Projects do not fail because the plan was wrong. They fail because the people running the plan were not led with clarity, courage, and care. The Hidden Project Drivers shows why charts and status meetings are not enough in a world defined by speed and uncertainty, and it replaces control with leadership rooted in behavioral science and neuroscience. You will learn how to create psychological safety so ideas surface early, convert compliance into ownership so teams move on their own energy, make cleaner decisions at higher velocity, and turn healthy tension into a crucible for innovation. Through vivid stories, practical exercises, and the Project Pulse highlights that anchor each chapter, you will shift your mental models, update your maps, and build environments where people think better together. Artificial intelligence can draft plans and schedule meetings. It cannot build trust, resolve friction, or inspire commitment. That is your job as a leader. This book gives you the tools and language to do it with confidence. This is not a manual for administration. It is a field guide for leaders who want to deliver results while growing people. If you lead projects, portfolios, or transformations, this book will help you move faster, reduce waste, and unlock the human factors that actually drive success.

A proven, step-by-step guide to building a lucrative consulting practice and the mindset that goes with it In The Seven-Figure Consultant: A Professional’s Guide to Building a Legacy-Level Consulting Practice, rockstar of consulting and renowned author Alan Weiss, delivers a hyper-focused, step-by-step guide to using your consulting skillset to build the lifestyle you’ve always wanted. Weiss walks you through his eye-opening perspective on what it really means to be “wealthy” (spoiler: it’s about time, not dollars and cents) and how to achieve that wealth. The book explains the on-the-ground realities of building a consulting service that grows sustainably and brings in the fees you need to live your life to its fullest. You’ll learn how to frame your value proposition, how to sell yourself as a true expert, and how to walk the tightrope that lies between arrogance and confidence. You’ll also find practical tools for how to engage with the latest AI tech, how to write a proposal that gets accepted every time, and how to track your most important metric: labor intensity. Inside the book: Key strategies on marketing your practice, including the six options for exponential growth that work at any level A revealing collection of interviews and commentary from seven-figure solo consultants who have mastered their industries The proper place of social media within your consulting practice, its benefits, and its unavoidable limitations The Seven-Figure Consultant is a granular, first-hand look at building a successful consulting practice by an author who has done it himself. But it’s also a mindset, one that correctly identifies “real wealth” as the time you’re able to make for—and spend on—yourself, and the people you care about the most. Weiss explains how to build both, one step at a time.

Features contributions from the Cabot Group, a major consulting organization formed by the retired executive vice presidents of human resources from Colgate-Palmolive, Merck, Xerox, Nortel Networks, and others. * Lets these former executives speak their minds about issues that range from diversity to downsizing, from board participation to boredom, from productivity to pop psychology, and everything in between. * Includes a series of vignettes, personal reminisces, defeats, victories, and other insightful, behind-the-scenes revelations about the power and impact of the profession on corporate life and individual well-being.

This book is based on the author’s lengthy experience in creating communities and helping organizations and individuals thereby providing for evangelism and sustained growth. The result is dynamic marketing and sales at low, or no, cost of acquisition. Thus, communities are powerful sources for business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs. The research and literature supporting communities and the power of referral, peer-level influence, and normative buying pressures is enormous. This is not an internet-based or “pyramid marketing” initiative, which is based on a zero-sum game and is unethical or illegal. These communities are both “live” and remote and become perpetual-motion sales machines. Most organizations have the raw materials for successful communities, but they don’t realize it, nor do they know how to go about creating them.This work is the remedy. The author believes that many people are still “lonely” and isolated post-pandemic with remote work or hybrid work. Communities can embrace these people to build camaraderie and higher performance. The key benefits include gaining value for merely bringing people together who normally would never have met; providing viral marketing among members, which is effective 24/7; easily creating global communities to expand business; and dramatically building brands. Essentially, this book will enable the reader to use over a dozen pragmatic, sequential steps to organize resources, publicize, gain members, provide instant value, and assemble critical mass for the community to continually add members and perpetuate itself in “The chain reaction of attraction”®.

No pre-pandemic strategy is effective anymore. None. Not for organizations large or small, for-profit or non-profit, domestic or global. Claims of a "return to normal" or "the new normal" are ridiculous. What we’re facing is really a "new reality," and that reality is the need for agile strategic decisions and pragmatic views of the future. That means that strategy formulation can be reduced to a few days and the view of the future can only be 12–18 months. This is the antithesis of Peter Drucker’s approach to strategy, but his highly effective approach was developed at GM three quarters of a century ago. It’s time to move on.Alan Weiss has developed an original and completely new approach to strategy which thus far has certified over 100 people globally, delivering this approach to scores of firms of all types in four countries. More than two dozen firms are using this approach.Sentient Strategy is based on two modern dimensions: awareness of the environment in which the organization exists and has influence, and consciousness of the impact of actions being considered. The old SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) approaches are currently equivalent to riding down the freeway on a horse. We must drop the hubris that has led us to believe we can see years ahead and anticipate what’s coming. No one predicted the Internet No one predicted the latest pandemic.It’s time to turn volatility and disruption on their heads and use them as offensive weapons in the marketplace instead of trying to protect ourselves from them. Imagine a strategy that an organization can formulate in just a day or so, revisit easily and frequently, and design a series of shorter-term, viable futures. "Sentient" means "perceptive" and "self-aware." It doesn’t mean "one size fits all" from a cookie-cutter firm’s approach to strategy.Alan Weiss equips the reader to consider using this approach independently. These are new times—a new reality, a "no normal™"—hence, it’s ridiculous to use old approaches to strategy. There’s a clear reason why Sears didn’t morph into Amazon and why Hertz surrendered its number one spot to Enterprise.

Even senior people, business owners, and board members are unaware of the nuances of influence on a daily basis. They think in a straight line and try to "strike deals," use hierarchical power, make "trade-offs," or bargain as if at a flea market. They unwittingly sacrifice vital needs to gain minor and temporary bright, shiny things. Influence is not about fast-talking, it’s about fast-thinking and carefully constructed language that one applies within a specific context. Influence is thought to be programmable—that is, it can create scarcity or consistency of positive responses. In reality, it’s about accountability, innovation, and leverage. No pre-pandemic strategy is worth a cent in a post-pandemic world. There is no "new normal" or "return to normal." There are only new realities. In this book, one of the boldest, most aggressive, most successful consultants in the world makes his predictions and provides recommendations that may frighten and stun, but ultimately can lead to market domination. Million-dollar influencers understand that influence doesn’t mean kissing up to everyone. While we may all be equal as human beings, not everyone has a stake in the outcomes in the business of influence. Some will resist change for the sake of resisting change. They lack imagination or let fear hold them in place. Recognizing actual stakeholders will guide your positioning of stakes in the ground that will mark critical positions leading to your desired outcome. Features How consensus building is something to live with, not something to die for The fundamental difference between accountability and authority The need for innovation and even improvisation in wielding influence The scientific and magical contrasts of language How to effectively maneuver within political environments How to rally the right stakeholders at the right time The powerful role of consequence

Build a thriving 21st-century consultancy with an all-new edition of the classic bestsellerIn a world of rapidly evolving technologies and business paradigms, your consulting business needs to radically adapt its techniques and models. Taking full measure of these changes, Alan Weiss, the “Rock Star of Consulting,” will guide you through the process with a revised and completely updated sixth edition of his authoritative guide to consulting success.Weiss updates his time-tested model for creating a flourishing consulting business, while showing you the many dynamic changes in solo and boutique consulting, coaching, and entrepreneurship. In addition, he offers you invaluable guidance on raising capital, attracting clients, and creating an airtight marketing strategy.This new edition is packed with step-by-step advice on how to:Use volatility and disruption as offensive weaponsMaximize fees by adopting a “value mindset”Build a successful model for marketing remotelyMaster cutting-edge technology to reach the broadest audienceForm powerful alliances to increase reach and impactThink branding—and think globalGenerate six-figure projects, six-figure retainers, and seven-figure incomesMillion Dollar Consulting has been the go-to classic for consultants for nearly 25 years. With cutting-edge new content, Alan Weiss will show you how to grow your business into a seven-figure firm today.

The latest edition of the leading guide to consulting engagement pricing, from the “Rock Star of Consulting” Alan Weiss In the newly revised Third Edition of Value-Based Fees: How to Charge – and Get – What You’re Worth, best-selling author, speaker and renowned consultant Dr. Alan Weiss delivers a thoroughly updated guide to proposing, and receiving, consistently high fees that are based on the value you deliver to each client you serve. The author walks you through the many reasons that time-and-materials pricing models are outdated and inadequate and how to convert existing clients to your new value-based fee model. He also discusses fundamental new developments in consulting, including the remote delivery of services, the waning market power of the consulting giants, economic globalization, and the shift from project work to advisory work. Among the step-by-step techniques and strategies provided in the book, you’ll find: How to establish value-based fees, including determining your unique value and creating a “good deal” dynamic How to create, capitalize on, and market to trusted advisor relationships How to implement fee increases immediately, prevent and rebut fee objections, create consulting products, and explore lucrative new fields Perfect for newcomers to the consulting field as well as time-tested veterans, Value-Based Fees is an indispensable guide for every solo consultant, entrepreneur, and small consulting firm.

The best and the brightest use advisors and experts. In fact, one could say that they are the best and the brightest because they utilized trusted advisors throughout their careers. Whether in business, sports, entertainment, academia, or politics, expert help is a fundamental enabler of success. That means that the demand for expert advice will grow and the competition will increase for such help. This isn't a matter of "certificates" and "universities," it's a matter of specific skill and behavioral sets that create a trusting bond and reliance. Trusted advisors are beyond coaches—they are comprehensive resources and supporters. The Modern Trusted Advisor employs important mastery traits, such as subordinating ego, applying shared experiences, and managing emotional, mental, and intellectual health. We are entering a world of "no normal" today and leaders must inspire others daily. This is the book that prepares you to inspire those leaders.

The best and the brightest use advisors and experts. In fact, one could say that they are the best and the brightest because they utilized trusted advisors throughout their careers. Whether in business, sports, entertainment, academia, or politics-expert help is a fundamental enabler of success. That means that the demand for expert advice will grow and the competition will increase for such help. This isn't a matter of "certificates" and "universities," it's a matter of specific skill and behavioral sets that create a trusting bond and reliance. Trusted advisors are beyond coaches-they are comprehensive resources and supporters. The Modern Trusted Advisor employs important mastery traits, such as subordinating ego, applying shared experiences, and managing emotional, mental, and intellectual health. We are entering a world of "no normal" today and leaders must inspire others daily. This is the book that prepares you to inspire those leaders.

The new edition of bestselling real-world guide to consultancy success, from the “Rock Star of Consulting” Alan Weiss The second edition of The Consulting Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Create and Expand a Seven-Figure Consulting Practice remains the most comprehensive and practical guide to the consulting profession, from launch to high growth, from marketing to implementation. Legendary consultant, speaker, and bestselling author Alan Weiss shows you how to create an independent or boutique consulting practice and take it to seven-figure success. Step-by-step, this invaluable resource guides you through attracting clients, maximizing your value, and achieving your career goals. In the decade since the first publication of The Consulting Bible, an array of significant developments has dramatically impacted the consulting profession: shifts in social consciousness, the Covid-19 pandemic, tele-consulting and virtual meetings, the globalization of the economy, the growth of social media, and many more. This exhaustively revised new edition provides specific approaches and techniques for mastering the new consulting environment and turning volatility and disruption into unlimited opportunities. Designed to help you become the authority and expert that organizations turn to again and again, this book is your one-stop resource for: Building a strong global brand that draws people to you Marketing remotely to reduce costs and allow for higher fees Mastering the latest implementation techniques Forging strong relationships with the buyers of a new generation Selecting the consulting methodology that best fits your requirements Writing proposals and creating testimonials and references Using advanced technology to sell and deliver your services Written for newcomers and veterans alike, The Consulting Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Create and Expand a Seven-Figure Consulting Practice, Second Edition, is essential reading for every solo consultant, entrepreneur, and principal of a small consulting firm.

Originally published in 1995, Large Deviations for Performance Analysis consists of two synergistic parts. The first half develops the theory of large deviations from the beginning, through recent results on the theory for processes with boundaries, keeping to a very narrow path: continuous-time, discrete-state processes. By developing only what is needed for the applications, the theory is kept to a manageable level, both in terms of length and in terms of difficulty. Within its scope, the treatment is detailed, comprehensive and self-contained. As the book shows, there are sufficiently many interesting applications of jump Markov processes to warrant a special treatment. The second half is a collection of applications developed at Bell Laboratories. The applications cover large areas of the theory of communication networks: circuit switched transmission, packet transmission, multiple access channels, and the M/M/1 queue. Aspects of parallel computation are covered as well including, basics of job allocation, rollback-based parallel simulation, assorted priority queueing models that might be used in performance models of various computer architectures, and asymptotic coupling of processors. These applications are thoroughly analysed using the tools developed in the first half of the book.

For over 30 years Alan Weiss has consulted, coached, and advised everyone from Fortune 500 executives, state governors, non-profit directors, and entrepreneurs to athletes, entertainers, and beauty pageant contestants. That’s quite an assortment of people, and they run into the thousands. Most of them have had what we euphemistically call "means," and some of them have had a lot more than that. Others have been aspiring and with more ends in sight than means on hand. Alan Weiss states: I’ve dealt with esteem (low), narcissism (high), family problems, leadership dysfunctions, insecurities, addictions, and ethical quandaries. And I’ve talked with them through the coronavirus crisis. But don’t get the wrong idea. About 95% of these people have been well-meaning, honest (to the best of their knowledge), and interested in becoming a better person and better professional. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be talking to me. I found the equivalent of the "runner’s wall" in their journeys, where they must break through the pain and the obstacles and then can keep going with renewed energy and spirit. But runners know how far they must go after the breakthrough, be it another half lap or another five miles. There is a finish line. I’ve found that people in all positions, even after the "breakthrough," don’t know where they are in the race, let alone where the finish line is. They do not know what meaning is for them. They may have money in the bank, good relationships, the admiration of others, and the love of their dogs. But they have no metrics for "What now?" They believe that at the end of life there is a tallying, some metaphysical accountant who totals up their contributions, deducts their bad acts, and creates the (hopefully positive) difference. That difference, they believe, is their "legacy." But the thought that legacy arrives at the end of life is as ridiculous as someone who decides to sell a business and tries to increase its valuation the day prior. Legacy is now. Legacy is daily. Every day we create the next page in our lives, but the question becomes who is writing it and what’s being written. Is someone else creating our legacy? Or are we, ourselves, simply writing the same page repeatedly? Or do we leave it blank? Our organic, living legacy is marred and squeezed by huge normative pressures. There is a "threshold" point, at which one’s beliefs and values are overridden by immense peer pressure. Our metrics are forced to change. In an age of social media, biased press, and bullying, we’ve come to a point where our legacy, ironically, is almost out of our hands. Yet our "meaning" — our creation of meaning and not a search for some illusive alchemy — creates worth and impact for us and all those with whom we interact.

The intent of this book -- the author's goal for you — is to understand the baseless underpinnings of almost all our fears. You read that correctly -- almost all our fears -- and therefore to discard them. The author has expertly coached leaders and managers in the discovery of, examination of, elimination of, and sustained freedom from fears.We all know people who are charming and articulate, but flounder on a stage addressing colleagues; musicians who master intricate scores but can’t play the basics when asked to solo; athletes who "choke"; business people who are strong until it comes time to ask for the business; people who consistently feel like "imposters."We are far better at dealing with external, tangible fears than our own imagined ones. We purchase insurance, watch the safety demonstrations, know how to use the Heimlich Maneuver. But those are responses to rare and often never-occurring emergencies. Our mythical and monstrous fears are daily dark clouds, masking our talents no less than depression or guilt.It’s time to realize there is no monster under the bed, never has been, and never will be without having to check nightly and without needing a weapon on the night table. Picture yourself freed of restraints that you could never properly articulate and were loath to discuss, but which you carried on your shoulders constantly, a dead weight, nonetheless.Essentially, this book is for entrepreneurs, business owners, and those who seek a better position for themselves and their talents, but who procrastinate, delay, and hang back. It’s about isolating and overcoming the internal fears that we generate every day like a geyser, triggered by time, events, or shifts in the environment. We are our own worst enemies and we ignore the practical remedies to escape fear because we use our energies instead on blaming everyone else.

The definitive guide to getting out of the office and getting into consulting Getting Started in Consulting, Fourth Edition is the acclaimed real-world blueprint to professional and financial freedom. For nearly two decades, this invaluable resource has helped thousands of people quit the daily grind and become their own boss. This practical and motivational guide provides the tools and knowledge to control your future and secure your fortune. From establishing goals and sorting out the legal and financial paperwork, to advanced marketing strategies and relationship building techniques, this indispensable book offers step-by-step instructions for you to establish and grow your own consultancy business. This extensively revised and updated fourth edition includes new and expanded coverage on topics including utilizing informal media, changes in legal and financial guidelines, key distinctions of wholesale and retail businesses, and much more. Author Alan Weiss delivers expert advice on how to combine minimal overhead with optimal organization to produce maximum income. Every step in the process is clearly explained, including financing, marketing, bookkeeping, establishing your fees, and more. This guide is a comprehensive, one-stop source for everything you need to prosper in the rapidly expanding world of private consultancy. Adopt a pragmatic and profitable strategy to achieve incredible results from your consultancy businessLearn to identify and address the most commons issues facing your prospects and clientsLeverage technology to reduce labor, maximize profitability, and increase discretionary timeAccess sample budgets, case studies, references and appendices, downloadable tools and forms, and online resources The modern business landscape presents unique opportunities for those willing to take the leap from corporate offices to home offices. Getting Started in Consulting, Fourth Edition is the must-have guide for anyone seeking to cut their own path to their own consulting business.

Originally published in 1995, Large Deviations for Performance Analysis consists of two synergistic parts. The first half develops the theory of large deviations from the beginning, through recent results on the theory for processes with boundaries, keeping to a very narrow path: continuous-time, discrete-state processes. By developing only what is needed for the applications, the theory is kept to a manageable level, both in terms of length and in terms of difficulty. Within its scope, the treatment is detailed, comprehensive and self-contained. As the book shows, there are sufficiently many interesting applications of jump Markov processes to warrant a special treatment. The second half is a collection of applications developed at Bell Laboratories. The applications cover large areas of the theory of communication networks: circuit switched transmission, packet transmission, multiple access channels, and the M/M/1 queue. Aspects of parallel computation are covered as well including, basics of job allocation, rollback-based parallel simulation, assorted priority queueing models that might be used in performance models of various computer architectures, and asymptotic coupling of processors. These applications are thoroughly analysed using the tools developed in the first half of the book.

Employee engagement, accountability, and true commitment--not management’s well-thought-out initiatives--are the real key to achieving results. In The Power of Strategic Commitment readers learn how to improve strategic processes by enlisting the support of managers, employees, boards, suppliers, investors, and others to promote company-wide ownership. The book outlines the key factors that determine commitment and reveals how readers can continuously measure buy-in, involve everyone in creating their own piece of a larger organizational future, tailor commitment strategies for individual employees, keep everyone on the road to achieving stated goals, hire fully-engaged talent, and create a commitment-inspiring rewards system.Most managers and executives don’t have a clear system for ensuring the support they need from those around them. But creating and sustaining the kind of buy-in that drives results starts with you. The Power of Strategic Commitment provides practical methods for getting everyone to not only accept and support, but actually embrace organizational initiatives and promote long-term success.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) remains one of the most effective forms of neurostimulation for severe mental illness. Sound scientific research underpins contemporary practice challenging the complex history and stigma that surround this treatment. The Electroconvulsive Therapy Workbook integrates the history of ECT with major advances in practice, including ultrabrief ECT, in a hands-on workbook format. Novel forms of neurostimulation are reviewed, highlighting the future directions of practice in this exciting area. The book is also richly illustrated with historical and technical images and includes ‘clinical wisdom’ sections that provide the reader with clinical insights into ECT practice. Online eResources are also available, featuring a wide range of questions and answers related to each chapter to help test and consolidate readers’ understanding of ECT, as well as regionally specific legislation governing ECT practice in Australia and New Zealand.This comprehensive introduction to ECT is a must-read for doctors in training, psychiatrists who require credentialing in this procedure, anaesthetists, nursing staff who work in ECT and other professionals who have an interest in ECT as well as consumer and carer networks.