The Consulting Go-Getting Buckinghams: Marcus and Jane

Marcus and Jane Buckingham are gurus at dispensing advice on how to improve your life.  They are both master consultants and happened to be married to each other.  Somehow, I don't imagine that they spend a lot of time slothing away on the couch...

Marcus Buckingham.

You may not have heard of Marcus Buckingham, but you have seen his books. His first New York Times best seller was First, Break All the Rules in 1999, which he subsequently followed up with titles such as Now, Discover Your Strengths and Go Put Your Strengths to Work, which I am currently reading.

Building on his successful books, speaker engagements and consulting efforts, he started The Marcus Buckingham Company where he focuses on the maxim that "rules must be broken and discarded because they stifle the originality and uniqueness — the strengths — that can enable all of us to achieve our highest performance." 

A Brit, Marcus graduated from Cambridge University and started his career doing research for employers about improving employee performance. He has limited practical experience in the corporate environment that he consults about, and builds support for his message by conducting interviews and research.  Like I said, master consultant.

Jane Buckingham.

Jane Buckingham also consults.  Her specialty is generational attitudes, and companies pay her to tell them how they should market to different generations. 

She was a host of The Modern Girl's Guide to Life TV show on the Style Network and parlayed her modern girlness into three books: The Modern Girls Guide to Life, The Modern Girls Guide to Motherhood and The Modern Girls Guide to Sticky Situations.

Jane's first book was Teens Speak Out, which she wrote when she was 16.  So Marcus may have beaten her to the best seller list, but she beat him to getting published.

As part of any respectable couple replete with matching companies, Jane founded Trendera, a consumer insight, trend forecasting and multimedia consulting company. 

She is also a contributing editor to Cosmopolitan magazine and the The Huffington Post, and does appearances on Good Morning America and The View where she covers general subjects such as gift-giving and trends.  Like I said (again), master consultant.