Change Agents: Meet the Nicheperts

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Likability trainer Tim Sanders calls this "flash consulting." "You don't want consultants crawling through your company like ants with a big bill attached," he says."Companies like to hire a subject-matter expert." Teaching people to be more likable in the workplace--improving their "emotional talent"--is one of Sanders' niches. For each client, he consults by phone for several months, then presents one or more custom-tailored speeches with e-mail follow-up. "I speak with an author's credibility and give specific advice," he says.

Well, sure. And, arguably, likable people gossip less and others trust them more, generating enthusiasm and causing procrastination to wither. But what if anxious workers overeat and fall into a depressive spiral? What if a team leader dons saffron robes and insists that everyone chant? No doubt there's a consultant to help with that too.