Sunday, April 12, 2015

Common traits of trusted advisors

Via First Among Equals, from The Trusted Advisor, common traits of trusted advisors:
  1. Seem to understand us, effortlessly, and like us
  2. Are consistent: we can depend on them
  3. Always help us see things from fresh perspectives
  4. Don't try to force things on us
  5. Help us think things through (it's our decision)
  6. Don't substitute their judgment for ours
  7. Don't panic or get overemotional: they stay calm
  8. Help us think and separate our logic from our emotion
  9. Criticize and correct us gently, lovingly
  10. Don't pull their punches: we can rely on them to tell us the truth
  11. Are in it for the long haul: the relationship is more important than the current issue
  12. Give us reasoning (to help us think), not just their conclusions
  13. Give us options, increase our understanding of those options, give us their recommendation, and let us choose
  14. Challenge our assumptions: help us uncover the false assumptions we've been working under
  15. Make us feel comfortable and casual personally, but they take the issues seriously
  16. Act like a person, not someone in a role
  17. Are reliably on our side, and always seem to have our interests at heart
  18. Remember everything we ever said (without notes)
  19. Are always honorable: they don't gossip about others (we trust their values)
  20. Help us put our issues in context, often through the use of metaphors, stories, and anecdotes (few problems are completely unique)
  21. Have a sense of humour to diffuse our tension in tough situations
  22. Are smart sometimes in ways we're not
As someone who advises others, how well does this describe me?

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