Post by Vlad Radziuk

The path to mastering the art of advisory never ends. At some point during the last 6 years I realized that trust is the biggest leverage and multiplier you can have in the industry of professional services. I experienced how trust-based relationships can lead to larger assignments and bigger revenue, and how a good reputation leads to more creative and fulfilling work.   At some point I found a book called The Trusted Advisor, which made a great impression on me as it proposes a detailed framework on how to build trustful relationships with your customers. This book made me reflect on my own experience.   So I decided to write a new essay about the role of trust in consulting (my last piece on this topic was published 3 years ago). https://lnkd.in/dRkcDydC I always use metaphors in my texts, and the one I chose for this article is quite unusual: a policeman from the early XX century who managed to survive in the most dangerous district of his city for 20 years because he knew how to approach criminals: with curiosity and respect (that is an unexpected turn, right?), but not hiding away from confrontation.   While writing this, I kept thinking about my great colleague Peter Haberl, who has been teaching me (by example, not by giving lectures) how: - To work on long-term relationships with your customer, develop emotional binding, and make concessions; - To stay hands-on and keep curiosity for the outside world after many years in the business; - To support and reward your best employees and help them implement their brightest ideas; - To be honest when ideas are good or bad; - To make bold moves and take calculated risks. Peter never stops showing me how to be a great advisor. I also met many other great advisors during the last years, some of which I will mention: Malte Wurtmann, Christopher Sly, Peter Butkovic, Marcus Eder, Ganesh Gadhave, Karolina Makówka-Szarlej, Dennis Hilgersom, Florian Gaede, Allan Chong Thank you to everyone who keeps giving me an example of how to be a trusted advisor.