Alan Cay Culler

<div class="et_pb_text_inner" data-et-multi-view="{"schema":{"content":{"desktop":" He bore the name of the Prophet. n We had a little difficulty meeting. I was not in the place he expected me to be and the app-map did not have all the street names. n The dealership called him, a service meant to offset labor prices double what I usually pay. There was no charge for the recall, of course, but I understood that the mechanic would u201cinspectu201d my six year old vehicle and prescribe further work, which I would verify with my usual mechanic,... Continue Reading

<div class="et_pb_text_inner" data-et-multi-view="{"schema":{"content":{"desktop":" Timing! n A few weeks ago I wrote u201cArriving for the Break,u201d wherein I poke fun at my way of being in the world, which might be called ,u201dcontrarian temporal synchronicity,u201d arriving when the band goes on break, buying high and selling low as investment strategy, and adopting new technology after everyone else has moved on to the next new thing. n In keeping with this tradition, in January I published Traveling the Consulting Road: Career... Continue Reading

<div class="et_pb_text_inner" data-et-multi-view="{"schema":{"content":{"desktop":" Jake and Wil save German culture n The u201cLittle Corporalu201d was ruining everything. Napoleon Bonaparte abolished the feudal system; peasants duties to the manorial class were reduced or eliminated. u00a0The lingua franca, or traderu2019s tongue, that was a combination of Italian French and Spanish words suddenly had more French and was replacing High German u2013 and not just with the confused folk of Alsace. n The Emperor decreed that all must ride... Continue Reading

<div class="et_pb_text_inner" data-et-multi-view="{"schema":{"content":{"desktop":" You know who you are. n You decided to become a consultant for a good reason. Maybe you liked business, loved problem-solving and were good at the analytics. Maybe you were freaked out by how much to had to borrow to get the degree that was your ticket to consulting. Maybe everyone in your top of your class cohort joined the consulting club and the discussion was electrifying and you aced the interview case prep. n So you interviewed. The interview team... Continue Reading

<div class="et_pb_text_inner" data-et-multi-view="{"schema":{"content":{"desktop":" Accountability and Development vs. Direction and Followers n I made a differentiation that permeated much of my work life. n n Managers manage in steady state circumstances. They are responsible for getting the work done and for ensuring their people have the knowledge and skills to get the work done. n Leaders lead in abnormal circumstances (emergencies, war, change). They are responsible for direction (Go this way!) and ensuring that people want to... Continue Reading

<div class="et_pb_text_inner" data-et-multi-view="{"schema":{"content":{"desktop":" Stuff Needs Fixing n The lamp is twelve years old. It was a gift from a family member because it went with our last house, an Arts & Crafts fairy-hut in a stately home neighborhood about two miles from where we now live. It does have a Dirk Van Erp vibe, the San Francisco Arts & Crafts metal worker that made those gorgeous bronze-base-mica-shaded lamps we could never afford. The metal-framed shade is made of oiled parchment and is showing its... Continue Reading

<div class="et_pb_text_inner" data-et-multi-view="{"schema":{"content":{"desktop":" u201cWhat? Me Worry?u201d n Consultants, especially young consultants, take some stick from time to time. There are consultant jokes. There is some under-the-breath name calling. It is all born of envy. It isnu2019t easy work for a company for ten years and watch the company hire a team of consultants, many younger than you, but making more money. So some hazing happens. n I arrived at a client site with a young team. We were shown to our dedicated office... Continue Reading

<div class="et_pb_text_inner" data-et-multi-view="{"schema":{"content":{"desktop":" The LinkedIn Wisdom Elders n Iu2019m connected on LinkedIn to several men about my age or a little older who write posts like I do. Some also have weekly newsletters on LinkedIn where they publish slightly longer pieces, similar to what to these pieces on Wisdom from Unusual Places. I think what we have in common is that weu2019ve all reached the age, where we feel the need to share wisdom weu2019ve uncovered or accumulated before we die. We think weu2019re... Continue Reading

<div class="et_pb_text_inner" data-et-multi-view="{"schema":{"content":{"desktop":" ‘u201cBe Patient?u201d n The first time I met Will, I remember thinking, u201cNow here is a guy who looks like a CEO.u201d Will was straight from Central Casting. He was a little older than I was at the time, late forties maybe. He was taller than me, maybe six-one and trim and wore an expensive medium gray small herringbone suit, tailored so you noticed that he worked out. Willu2019s hair was black with just the right amount of silver at the temples.... Continue Reading

<div class="et_pb_text_inner" data-et-multi-view="{"schema":{"content":{"desktop":" Consultants donu2019t do anything n In the video, a man dressed in athletic shorts stands on a train platform. He puts chalk on his hands and limbers up. As a train approaches the station, he positions himself next to the train track reaching out to slow the train to a stop. As passengers disembark our super athlete puts more chalk on his hands and limbers up some more. As the train starts to depart he runs next to it and throws it forward hurtling the... Continue Reading