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The Trusted Advisor
240 pages, 2001
business & management
1082 booksBestselling author David H. Maister teams up with Charles H. Green and Robert M. Galford to bring us an essential tool for all consultants, negotiators, and advisors. In today's fast-paced networked economy, professionals must work harder than ever to maintain and improve their business skills and knowledge. The key to professional success is the ability to earn the trust and confidence of clients. To demonstrate the paramount importance of trust, the authors use anecdotes, experiences, and examples – successes and mistakes, their own and others' – to great effect. The result is an immensely readable book that will be welcomed by the inexperienced advisor as well as by seasoned experts like themselves.
In 'The Trusted Advisor', David H. Maister emphasizes the importance of building trust in professional relationships. He suggests that trust is not just about being reliable or competent, but also about showing genuine care and concern for others. So, take a look at your relationships and see where you can build more trust.
Maister introduces a formula for trust: Trustworthiness equals credibility plus reliability plus intimacy, divided by self-orientation. This equation is a great tool to check how trustworthy you are in your professional relationships. Try to increase your credibility, reliability, and intimacy while reducing your self-orientation.
The author stresses the importance of listening in building trust. He suggests that by truly listening to others, we can understand their needs and concerns better. So, next time you're in a conversation, try to really listen and understand the other person's perspective.
In 'The Trusted Advisor', it's clear that focusing on long-term relationships rather than short-term gains is key to becoming a trusted advisor. This means putting the client's interests first and providing value consistently. So, take a step back and see if you're focusing on the long-term in your professional relationships.
Maister suggests that showing vulnerability can actually increase trust. By admitting when you don't know something or when you've made a mistake, you show that you're human and this can make you more relatable. So, don't be afraid to show your vulnerability, it might just make you a more trusted advisor.
