In the past week I’ve experienced a notable increase in people asking my opinion. That’s good news for a consultant who considers opinion-giving the coinage of her realm. But clients didn’t ask; businesses did.

As I checked out of the FedEx store where I’d bought envelopes, the nice clerk handed me a receipt and said, “Please take a few minutes to fell out the survey on the receipt. It will help me personally.” She seemed pleasant enough but not enough for me to have a vested interested in helping her. I just wanted envelopes.