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The Trusted Advisor
Book

The Trusted Advisor

David H. Maister, Charles H. Green and Robert M. Galford
Free Press, 2000

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Being trusted by their clients separates successful advisors and consultants from the corporate consigliores. But how does a qualified advisor become trusted? Authors David H. Maister, Charles H. Green and Robert M. Galford provide methods you can use to reach the inner circle. They break trust into its component parts and reassemble those pieces into a viable, practical model, complete with suggested conversations. That may sound a little robotic, but with practice, an advisor can make the transition from outside technician to habitué of the inner sanctum. This readable book includes a useful appendix and a list of quick references. getAbstract recommends it to consultants and professional service providers. We trust you’ll know what to do with it.

Take-Aways

  • Trusted advisors have strong professional and personal relationships with clients.
  • To become trusted, advisors must be credible and reliable, show their emotions and have the right motivation.
  • To create trust, follow five steps on each issue: "engagement, listening, framing the problem, sketching an alternative solution and formulating an acceptable plan."

About the Authors

David H. Maister also wrote Managing the Professional Service Firm and True Professionalism. Consultant Charles H. Green and corporate executive Robert M. Galford both taught at the Columbia University and Kellogg business schools, and published articles in the Harvard Business Review. Green’s work appeared in Management Horizons, and Galford has written for The Boston Globe.

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