Becoming a Trusted Advisor to your Client and Your Colleagues

I know that we often question what it means to become a trusted partner to our clients, associated and out co workers at the office. However, I don't think it is rocket science. There are certain behaviors which are essential to taking up that role, but it simply involves getting the basics right.

I will share some of these characteristics which I find you be integral in creating a meaningful relationship with your stakeholder.

CREATE A FRIENDSHIP AND NOT AN ACQUAINTANCE OR BUSINESS ASSOCIATE

A number of people have said that friendships get in the way of a good working relationship but I am not entirely in agreement with that line of thought. I think it is essential to create meaningful relationships with people. This starts with a simple 'good morning' when you come into office, a smile on your face, interactions in the common room, a selfie on a night out and a genuine interest for someone else.

Finding common areas of interest may be a small investment in terms of time but I think is important to make because it forms a bridge between two individuals.

From a wok perspective it is much easier to approach a friend than an associate in most situations. A friend may 'have your back' and may offer you a hand when you are struggling with a task.

Some of us may not find ourselves as social animals and have difficulties in forging relationships. However, I feel this is a vital skill that anyone should have if they claim to be a trusted advisor. It is definitively worth developing!

CCC: BE CREDIBLE, COMPETENT AND CONSISTENT

As a Trusted Advisor it is important to know your subject. If you are a consultant in a particular area or a professional attached to a certain occupation; it is imperative that you know your subject thoroughly. By this, I don't simply mean that you should be competent to do your job but rather - your are an ambassador for your role.

Example: If I claim to be an HR Professional - it is sometimes not good enough to know the best practices in HR practices & processes. As a trusted advisor, I would also need to bring fresh thinking to the table, I would need to be aware of the future of my profession and the challenges that are associated with it. I would need to know my subject and be able to think outside traditional lines. This would be the difference between a practitioner and a Trusted Advisor.

Playing that advisory role you would also need to be credible and consistent. You need to be seen as someone who your customer can count on and drives consistent performance. If you claim to be competent in your area of expertise but unable to deliver consistent results, then you are in danger of losing your credibility. It is essential to back up your credentials with favorable outcomes to your stakeholders.

COMMUNICATION

Communication has started to play a vital role in today's context and this becomes more relevant especially because we operate in a global village. It is not only restricted to face to face interactions but constitutes email, web conferencing, calls, message boards etc.

The manner in which we correspond is of utmost importance. The clarity of the message we are transmitting needs to be clear and concise with the right level of tone, expression, urgency and empathy for the recipient to receive it in the manner we want it to be conveyed.

Being an excellent communicator does not necessarily mean that you need to be an expert in a particular language - but you need to be someone who gets the right message across.

One trait which also is of integral importance is our active listening skills. We are found guilty of thinking of how to respond to our clients at a time when we should actually be listening to them. This is not only common in business but also in our personal lives. Some of our are brilliant communicators but fail to actually demonstrate good listening skills in order to capture customer sentiment.

Communication is a two way street and we need to ensure we are listening attentively while communicating effectively.

This is often where we fall short because opinions and impressions are formed by the way we speak, write or communicate. As a Trusted Advisor, we may be competent and result driven but where it could all go wrong is if we are unable to clearly articulate information with our stakeholder.

VALUE

As a rule of thumb, I believe it is important a Trusted Advisor to provide exceptional value to the customer. Their ability to under-promise and over deliver should be an essential competent in their DNA.

What we see too often is that employees and consultants aspire to deliver the minimum expectation of their client. They are satisfied if their customer does not have any complaints.

However, as a Trusted Advisor, the role surpasses 'meeting expectations'. You consistently go beyond your span of control to innovate and provide exceptional value which makes you the Go-To-Person.

The Customer wants you on the project because you will not settle with meeting the targets, but you are constantly looking for ways to improve the product or process. This is the value that an advisor brings to the table.

BEST INTERESTS OF THE STAKEHOLDER ARE PRIORITY

We tend to be good executioners of our tasks, we deliver on targets and meet predetermined expectations. However, this not necessarily make us a Trusted Advisor.

We need to look at situations holistically rather than small tasks. We don't need to plug holes on the Titanic, rather we need to understand why the Ship is sinking. As a Trusted Advisor, we need to understand the context of the Customer and empathize with their scenario. We need to help solve their business problem rather than firefight and find a temporary solution.

If we are perceived by them as someone who has the ability to make their life easier by looking at their business problem and provide sustainable solutions, then we earn their trust. However, if we simply are driven by tasks without considering their predicament, then it wouldn't matter how sophisticated our solution claims to be. They would not benefit in the long term as any outcome needs to make sense to their business.

CREATE AND LEVERAGE ON YOUR UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION

We are all like snowflakes. No one is like us and we all have our own stories, strengths and weaknesses.

In order to be a Trusted Advisor our Personal Brand matters in the way we are perceived by our client. This brings us to the question - Are we portraying what we want the customer to identify us as. Are we intentionally create a perception which translates to us being the go-to-person.

The first part of this theory is to understand why we stand out from the others around us. Once we do this, we need to identify how to leverage on this to create a favorable impression with our stakeholder.

For Example: I have identified that I am a hard worker (and I understand the customer sees me as a workhorse as well) but I need to work on my attention to detail which is lacking at times. I feel I need to develop my brand so that my customer would see me as someone who works hard and is a perfectionist as well. This is my Unique Value Proposition which I want to be know for - thus, I would invest my time in building competence in this area. The eventuality is that my customer would profile me differently based on my consistent behavioral alterations.

At the end of the day we are a product and service to others. We need to ensure that we are portraying a set of habits and behaviors which are favorable to our stakeholders so that they have the confidence that we fit into the identity that they require (to get the job done).