[rodrigo]

I have met some very high paid consultants who doesnt look smart at all(smartly dressed, if any);

Knowing stuff and being able to do something useful with it (AND sell it) looks pretty smart to me. :)

[DanielBMarkham]

The thing is: there's a tension between "knowing stuff" and "being a good friend"

It usually means coming in and caring for folks you have never met who are doing things in a way that hurts. The trick is to explain this to them in a way that's non-confrontational and that they can grow from.

I used to tell people being a consultant was traveling to far away places to meet new people and disagree with them (grin)