Building
Trust In A Consulting Relationship
THE TRUSTED ADVISOR, by David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford. The Free Press, NY, 2000.240 pp. $25.00 (Click here to order)
I trust David Maister. I've known him for many years, and worked with him and shared a platform with him. I trust David Maister. I trust him to advise me wisely, to be responsive, thoughtful, truthful, and to be considerate of my ideas.
Having just read the book he's written with two well-qualified colleagues, I now know why I trust him.
The relationships that go into a consulting process are crucial - and tender. Simply being an expert in your subject is only half the battle. If he client doesn't trust you, you may have the cure for the common cold, but it won't be heard, nor appreciated.
David Maister, in case you've been in hibernation for the past several decades, was a pioneer in managing professional services firms - and still is. As a professor at the Harvard Business School, he was probably he first scholar to explore the intricacies and dynamics of professional firms. He quickly became a leading authority, and then a full-time consultant. Unlike too many academics, whose ideas freeze on graduation day, David has continued to learn and to grow. A magnificent speaker and writer, he has probably contributed more innovative thinking about managing consulting, law and accounting firms than anybody else in the field, with the exception of the Edge Group. And he works closely with them on many projects.
His coauthors, Charles H. Green and Robert M. Galford, both have strong credentials and experience. Charles Green is a nationally recognized and widely published consultant and executive educator who has taught at both Columbia and Kellogg Business Schools. Robert M. Galford is Executive Vice President and Chief People officer of Digitas, Inc., a leading internet professional services firm. He, too, has taught at both Columbia and Kellogg Business Schools.
What this book accomplishes that makes it so valuable is to take a crucial element of success in imparting advice - trust -- and dissect it in great detail. The reasoning is very simple. If clients don't trust you, they won't accept your advice. If they don't feel they can grow to trust you, they won't hire you in the first place.
There is a significant difference, the authors note, between being a subject matter expert and becoming a valuable resource, and between being a valuable resource and a trusted advisor - one whose advice beyond expertise is sought, considered, and ultimately accepted. It transcends the expertise to become a relationship.
The book notes four kinds of relationships that can ascend to trust…service offering-based; needs-based; relationship-based; trust-based. It carefully describes each, and explains how each works, and then, how to get from one relationship to another.
The authors use a valuable device to move the reader to the ultimate trust relationship. They ask a series of questions in each chapter, the answers to which can be informing and inspiring. In the Appendix, they present the lists of questions for each chapter.
The book is divided into three parts. Part one offers perspective on trust - what it is, how it works to enhance the value of the advisor, the dynamics of trust, the principles of building strong relationships. Part two defines the structure of trust building - the components of trust, the five stages of trust building, engaging clients in discussions, the art of listening, framing the issue, getting clients to clarify their objectives, and getting commitment. Part three talks about putting trust to work - why trust-based relationships are so scarce, differing client types, the unorthodox winner, the role of trust in getting hired, building and re-earning trust on the current assignment, cross selling, and the quick impact way to gain trust.
The truly remarkable thing is the incremental way they move from one element of the subject to the next. Each element leads to the next, and the knowledge builds effortlessly and logically. It takes a subject normally dealt with by muddy self-help books, and uses behavioral science to impart the subject. This way it works. The self help way - exhorting you to think pure thoughts and do better tomorrow -- leaves you empty an hour after you've read it. This book fills you.
Among consultants, there are those of us who know what's in this book instinctively. There are those among us who have only half a notion about it, relying on their expertise to carry the weight of the relationship. There are those of us who haven't a clue that their relationships with clients reside primarily in an ego-driven pride they have in what they know, and not in what the client needs. These fragile relationships tend to rupture sooner or later.
For the latter two, this book can be a revelation…a savior. And yes, some books can help you modify behavior patterns. This is one.
And for the successful professional, the one who knows this stuff instinctively and from broad experience, this book is a pleasant surprise. It organizes and helps focus what you know -- or think you know. Answer the questions in each chapter. You'll find two things - that you know more than you thought, and that there are still things to learn.
Of the vast array of how-to books of consultants of all kinds, few are as helpful, as valuable, as The Trusted Advisor.