To be honest
Have you ever been in a meeting where you're asked a question, the honest answer to which you think won't go down very well?
Such a moment was pivotal in Charles Green's career where he didn't want to admit to a potential client that he had no experience of marketing in their particular product category. He was a consultant with an MBA from Harvard, surely he could find a work-around that would satisfy their question? However, he didn't have much choice as his boss quickly answered for him, honestly, saying that no, not that they could think of. The client's reaction was a positive one, and the conversation continued.
And that was the moment that Charles realised that honesty and a focus on the client were paramount to establishing trust.
Since then, Charles has gone on to found the Trusted Advisor Associates and co-author this book alongside David Meister and Robert Galford.
When stakeholders trust us, they are more likely to take our advice
The beauty of this book is that the authors demystify the process of building trust, unpicking the trust equation in a beautifully structured way. As they say, 'trust is not a squishy, fog-sculpting “soft” concept'.
As Insight professionals, there is a lot we can take from this book that will directly improve the relationships we have with senior decision-making executives in our own organisations.
The IMA has drawn ideas from this book for its work on influencing decision-makers, please see links below.
Quick links
Please click here to access the IMA member content on influencing decision-makers
Please click here to explore the IMA's training on improving stakeholder relationships
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