Synopses & Reviews
The essential "must have" tool for professionals who advise or negotiate with others in today's new economy.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;In today's fast-paced networked economy, professionals must work harder than ever to maintain and improve their business skills and knowledge. But technical mastery of your discipline is not enough, assert world-renowned professional advisors David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford. The key to professional success, they argue, is the ability to earn the trust and confidence of clients. The creation of trust is what earns the right to influence clients; trust is also at the root of client satisfaction and loyalty. The workings of trust are even more critical in the new economy than in the old.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Maister, Green, and Galford enrich our understanding of trust -- yet they have also written a deeply practical book. Using their model of "The Trust Equation," they dissect the rational and emotional components of trustworthiness. With precision and clarity, they detail five distinct steps you must take to create a trust-based relationship. Each step -- engage, listen, frame, envision, and commit -- is richly described in distinct chapters. The book is peppered with pragmatic "top ten" lists aimed at improving advisors' effectiveness that can be put to use instantly. It also includes a trust self-diagnostic in the appendix.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;This immensely readable book will be welcomed by the inexperienced advisor and the most seasoned expert alike. The authors use anecdotes, experiences, and examples -- successes and mistakes, their own and others' -- to great effect. Though they use the professional services advisor/client paradigm throughout the book, their prescriptions have resonance for other trust-reliant situations -- selling, customer relationship management, and internal staff functions like HR and information technology.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The result is a andlt;Iandgt;tour de forceandlt;/Iandgt; -- brilliant, penetrating, unique. It is essential reading for anyone who must advise, negotiate, or manage complex relationships with others.
Review
Carl Stern CEO, Boston Consulting Group andlt;Iandgt;The Trusted Advisorandlt;/Iandgt; offers an invaluable road map to all those who seek to develop truly special relationships with their clients.
Review
Thomas W. Watson Chief Growth Officer, Omnicom Group, Inc. andlt;Iandgt;The Trusted Advisorandlt;/Iandgt; will make any advisor more effective in winning and servicing clients' business. It is a must-read for anyone working in professional service firms.
Review
Thomas W. Watson
Chief Growth Officer, Omnicom Group, Inc.
The Trusted Advisor will make any advisor more effective in winning and servicing clients' business. It is a must-read for anyone working in professional service firms.
Review
John Lynch Chairman and CEO, Towers Perrin This is a major contribution to the consulting profession, a richly illustrated and humanistic look at what differentiates a truly great advisor from a good one. This book will be valuable reading for the novice and experienced professional alike.
Review
Howard G. Paster Chairman and CEO, Hill and Knowlton, Inc. This book provides valuable insight into how one can become and, equally important, remain a trusted advisor, which is essential to success in a wide variety of professions.
Review
Tom Peters author of andlt;Iandgt;The Professional Service 50andlt;/Iandgt; This is a brilliant -- and practical -- book. In our "world gone mad," trust is, paradoxically, more important than ever.
Review
James E. Copeland, Jr. CEO, Deloitte and Touche, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Trust is the key that can unlock a priceless dialogue with your clients. andlt;Iandgt;The Trusted Advisorandlt;/Iandgt; tells you how to build relationships that can last a lifetime.
Review
William F. Stasior senior chairman and former CEO, Booz-Allen and Hamilton This book is engaging, enjoyable, and absolutely on target. It is packed with truth. The Trusted Advisor will guide success not just in the advisory professions but in leadership and life as well.
Review
Professor Charles Fombrun Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University The Trusted Advisor gets to the heart and soul of the advice business. This path-breaking book is a must-read.
Review
Michael Bray Chief Executive, Clifford Chance The authors have produced a readable, helpful guide to a central issue for all professional services firms. They provide sensible and practical advice, making the components of trust appear clear and straightforward. The book is easy to read and use and many of the checklists are very valuable. I will encourage my partners to read it and to keep it close at hand.
Review
George COLONY Chairman and CEO, Forrester Research Our company's development has been guided by and has benefited from the Trusted Advisor concepts -- and they work!
Synopsis
In order to survive, today's professionals must earn the trust of their clients--and re-earn it throughout their careers, says Maister. The famed "guru's guru" joins a pair of elite consultants--Charles Green and Robert Galford--to deliver a dynamic must-read for successfully negotiating relationships in today's bold new economy.
Synopsis
In today's fast-paced networked economy, professionals must work harder than ever to maintain and improve their business skills and knowledge. But technical mastery of your discipline is not enough, assert world-renowned professional advisors David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford. The key to professional success, they argue, is the ability to earn the trust and confidence of clients. The creation of trust is what earns the right to influence clients; trust is also at the root of client satisfaction and loyalty. The workings of trust are even more critical in the new economy than in the old.
Maister, Green, and Galford enrich our understanding of trust -- yet they have also written a deeply practical book. Using their model of "The Trust Equation," they dissect the rational and emotional components of trustworthiness. With precision and clarity, they detail five distinct steps you must take to create a trust-based relationship. Each step -- engage, listen, frame, envision, and commit -- is richly described in distinct chapters. The book is peppered with pragmatic "top ten" lists aimed at improving advisors' effectiveness that can be put to use instantly. It also includes a trust self-diagnostic in the appendix.
This immensely readable book will be welcomed by the inexperienced advisor and the most seasoned expert alike. The authors use anecdotes, experiences, and examples -- successes and mistakes, their own and others' -- to great effect. Though they use the professional services advisor/client paradigm throughout the book, their prescriptions have resonance for other trust-reliant situations -- selling, customer relationship management, and internal staff functions like HR and information technology.
The result is a tour de force -- brilliant, penetrating, unique. It is essential reading for anyone who must advise, negotiate, or manage complex relationships with others.
About the Author
David H. Maister, one of the world's leading authorities on the management of professional service firms, is the author of several successful books, including andlt;iandgt;Managing the Professional Service Firm, True Professionalism,andlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;Practice What You Preach,andlt;/iandgt; and coauthor of andlt;iandgt;The Trusted Advisor.andlt;/iandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Robert M. Galfordandlt;/Bandgt; is currently a Managing Partner of the Center for Executive Development in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was formerly the executive vice president and chief people officer of Digitas, Inc., a leading Internet professional services firm with over 1,400 employees. He taught for many years on executive programs at the Columbia Graduate School of Business and the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, in addition to consulting to professional services firms, technology companies, and financial institutions.andlt;BRandgt;Rob has lived and worked in both Western Europe and North America as a vice president of The MAC Group and its successor firm, Gemini Consulting. He has practiced law with the international firm of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt and Mosle in New York and Washington, and has also worked in investment management for Citicorp.andlt;BRandgt;Rob's writing and commentaries on management have been published in the andlt;Iandgt;Boston Globeandlt;/Iandgt; and he is a three-time contributor to the andlt;Iandgt;Harvard Business Review.andlt;/Iandgt; He currently sits on the boards of directors of Forrester Research, Inc., and Access Data Corporation. He also hosts the business video andlt;Iandgt;Talk About Change!andlt;/Iandgt; with the popular cartoon character Dilbert.andlt;BRandgt;His educational background includes Liceo Segre, Turin, Italy; a B.A. in economics and Italian literature from Haverford College; an M.B.A. from Harvard; and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was an associate editor of andlt;Iandgt;The Tax Lawyer.andlt;/Iandgt; Rob lives with his family in Concord, Massachusetts. He may be reached at:andlt;BRandgt;E-mail:
[email protected]Table of Contents
andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Introductionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;How to Use This Bookandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Part One: Perspectives on Trustandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;OL TYPE="1" START="1"andgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;A Sneak Previewandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;What would be the benefits if your clients trusted you more?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;What are the primary characteristics of a trusted advisor?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;What Is a Trusted Advisor?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;What do great trusted advisors all seem to do?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;Earning Trustandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;What are the dynamics of trusting and being trusted?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;How to Give Adviceandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;How do you ensure your advice is listened to?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;The Rules of Romance: Relationship Buildingandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;What are the principles of building strong relationships?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;The Importance of Mindsetsandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;What attitudes must you have to be effective?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;Sincerity or Technique?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Do you really have to care for those you advise?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;/OLandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Part Two: The Structure of Trust Buildingandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;OL TYPE="1" START="8"andgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;The Trust Equationandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;What are the four key components that determine the extent of trust?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;The Development of Trustandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;What are the five stages of trust-building?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;Engagementandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;How do you get clients to initiate discussions with you?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;The Art of Listeningandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;How can you improve your listening skills?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;Framing the Issueandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;How can you help clients look at their issues in a fresh way?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;Envisioning an Alternate Realityandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;How can you help clients clarify what they're really after?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;Commitmentandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;How do you ensure clients are willing to do what it takes to solve their problems?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;/OLandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Part Three: Putting Trust to Workandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;OL TYPE="1" START="15"andgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;What's So Hard About All This?andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Why are truly trust-based relationships so scarce?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;Differing Client Typesandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;How do you deal with clients of differing types?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;The Lieutenant Columbo Approachandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;What can we learn from an unorthodox winner?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;The Role of Trust in Getting Hiredandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;How do you create trust at the outset of a relationship?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;Building Trust on the Current Assignmentandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;How can you conduct your assignment in a way that adds to trust?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;Re-earning Trust Away from the Current Assignmentandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;How can you build trust when you're not working on an assignment?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;The Case of Cross-Sellingandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Why is cross-selling so hard, and what can be done about it?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;LIandgt;The Quick-Impact List to Gain Trustandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;What are the key things you should do first?andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;/OLandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Appendix: A Compilation of Our Listsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;A comprehensive summary and list of concepts, insights, tips, and tactics.andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Acknowledgmentsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Notes and Referencesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Indexandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;About the Authors