I am an OD consultant and it seems that my clients increasingly want me to explain how my services tie to finance, operations, strategy and the bottom line. I am a little embarassed that I am not more conversant in these areas but that is not my expertise. Why should I know a lot about them?

Let's assume your client is right that you should know how your services link to other parts of the organization. As the client, she is absolutely right; as a consultant to management, you should be constantly looking for a better understanding of how each part of the organization fits together. But you are where you are - what can you do about it?

I'll share with you a book that is a terrific education in business and management and can get you quickly up to speed. Whether you have an MBA or need to know some of what is taught there, this book is a great resource. The MBA author concluded that the essence of two years of business school could be summed up in ten quick courses on marketing, accounting, organizational behavior, quantitative analysis, finance, operations and a few others.

Tip: I have a lot of books on managerial finance, marketing and other deep resources, but thirty years out of school, one book, The Ten Day MBA, is one of the one's I go to for a quick refresher of the basics. I highly recommend it (apparently many agree, given that it is in the top 10 Amazon business education books). It is just enough to help you know what you know and don't know.

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