A trusted advisor is someone who has exceptional, targeted knowledge in a particular industry; one you can expect to provide unbiased advice.
What differentiates a trusted advisor from other advisors or consultants is the higher value they place on maintaining and preserving the business relationship over the outcome of the current transaction.
Trusted advisors have a number of distinct attributes:
- They focus on the client, more than themselves.
- They focus on the client as an individual, not as a person fulfilling a role.
- They believe that a continued focus on problem definition and resolution is more important than technical or content mastery.
- They show a strong competitive drive aimed not at competitors, but at constantly finding new ways to be of greater service to the client.
- They consistently focus on doing the right thing, rather than their own organization’s rewards or dynamics.
- They view methodologies, models, techniques and business processes as means to an end — they are useful if they prove effective for a client, and are discarded if they don’t.
- And finally, they believe that success in client relationships is tied to the accumulation of quality client-contact experiences.
Three core competencies of trusted advisors are: earning trust, giving advice and building relationships.
Trust must be both earned and deserved. We believe in trusting first, in order to receive your trust. We believe in providing you with good reasons to trust us.
At its core, trust is about relationships. We believe clients will trust us more if they’re convinced that we’re in a relationship for the long haul and not looking simply to maximize short-term gains.
Giving advice is both an objective, rational process as well as an emotional process.
As such, we can’t fully diagnosis problems or recommend solutions without considering the sensitivities, emotions and politics of a client engagement. Most of our clients are looking for someone who will provide reassurance, calm their fears and inspire confidence. That takes time; time that we’re willing to invest.
Building relationships requires understanding, thoughtfulness, empathy and compassion.
Why a trusted advisor?
The events industry is a transactional industry, mostly comprised of well-known problems and well-known solutions.
The transactional nature of the industry is a function of the transactional nature of our work; well-known processes and outcomes focused primarily on achieving greater and greater efficiencies (smarter, better, faster).
But greater efficiencies are no longer sufficient. The nature of business and nature of work is evolving. There’s a paradigm shift taking place today among leading organizations today toward greater effectiveness (meaning, value, results).
This requires more of a strategic than a tactical response; more of a transformational than a transactional remedy.
The nature of our industry and our work must evolve with the times or become increasingly irrelevant.
Now more than ever, you need a true ally; someone who understands the need to challenge the status quo and help you navigate through uncharted waters; someone who will ask different questions and explore new ideas; someone who is willing to share in your risks and take comfort from your rewards; someone who is more of a partner than a supplier or service provider.
Sources:“The Trusted Advisor” by David H. Maister, Charles H. Green and Robert M. Galford (2001) and other web-based resources.
