Not "consulting"
Even though my business is as an independent consultant, my seven years in corporate IT support has convinced me that the best role the consultant plays when on customer time or on-site is to act as "the corporate IT department." There is a whole attitude change, YOU are it in a nutshell. Do not forget time, billing and that you are really NOT on the client's payroll per se, but YOU are the department. In corporate, freedom of action is hard to find. As a consultant, YOU have freedom but it also must act in accordance with where their IT demands want to go. I am the CIO, CTO and tech field agent all rolled into one. I work with my clients, not FOR them and that is a huge difference. I sitll like the three old IBM rules: Respect for the individual (i.e. my client's staff and their concerns); Go the extra mile to do a thing right and lastly spend alot of time making the client happy.
