Dear Bob ... I'm a CIO who has just been laid off. It wasn't due to performance problems on my part. To the extent there was a performance problem it was on the part of the sales manager, but no revenue is still no revenue and the company couldn't afford me anymore. I have to decide what I want to do next, and I'm not sure whether I want to be a CIO again or become a consultant who helps CIOs. I've never done th Dear Bob …I’m a CIO who has just been laid off. It wasn’t due to performance problems on my part. To the extent there was a performance problem it was on the part of the sales manager, but no revenue is still no revenue and the company couldn’t afford me anymore.I have to decide what I want to do next, and I’m not sure whether I want to be a CIO again or become a consultant who helps CIOs. I’ve never done that before, though, and while I’ve read a couple of books on the subject, none of them has given me a good picture of what it’s going be like when I’m in the middle of it. Any thoughts to help me decide?– On the fenceDear Fencing … What’s it like? It depends on whether you’re talking about joining an existing company to be one of their consultants or striking out … ahem, heading out … on your own.Either way, the biggest shock you’ll be in for is moving from having someone else control your schedule to having to take responsibility for it yourself. As CIO, most of your time is consumed with meetings, so you really don’t have a lot of work to do to make sure your time is spent productively. The hard part is reserving time for productive work.As a consultant you drive your own schedule more – especially if you go independent and are between engagements (when you’re working with a client most of your time will be spent in interviews, focus groups and other kinds of meetings). What else? If you join a firm, you’re a staffer, not a boss. Connect the dots. Also, plan on living in hotel rooms during the week. Evenings can be very lonely.If you’re on your own, ask yourself just a few hard questions:* Do you like networking, cold calling, and the whole sales process? Nearly as much of your time will be spent doing this as consulting. * Can you exist without the social structure and framework that working for a larger company provides? Not everyone can.* When a prospect asks you this question, do you have a good answer: “I can get this kind of help from lots of different companies. Why should I choose you?” Never mind the prospect: Do you have an answer you’ll find convincing? That’s the question.The last bit is this: Consulting is a CRM business – it lives and dies on relationships. No matter how smart you are, one of the most important questions is whether or not, at the end of the engagement, the client likes you. And you them.– Bob ——– Technology Industry