Consulting is a rough racket. Only a tarantula hair above IRS agents, meter maids and used car sales people, the profession is a prickly burr for slings and arrows. Throw in education, focus on dysfunctional schools and call oneself a "change agent," and this bad rap all but disappears. Unfortunately, though, consulting/coaching/mentoring in schools is probably the toughest gig in town. Having spent more than 10 years in consulting, mostly with educational organizations, the author has learned a number of lessons, some more painful than others. For those who dare, the author offers 20 suggestions culled from the change agent trenches.