Becoming the Trusted Advisor

As many leave employment to become their own boss their first cheque will probably be earned through some form of consultancy.

While it's true that we use consultants for their specialist knowledge or competence, of equal importance is a consultant's character.


Those who excel as consultants very often spend time working on projects beyond their original brief. They are so trusted by their clients that they are regularly asked to tackle additional assignments, thereby significantly increasing their earnings per client.

So how do we build that trust? Contrary to what some believe, trust cannot be earned by good behaviour alone. In fact it comes from a combination of factors, all supported, or undermined by our level of self interest - the higher our self interest the less we are trusted.

This formula adapted from Maister, Green and Galliford's trust equation in The Trusted Advisor, Free Press 2001 illustrates the difference between character and competence

Relationship, Credibility, Dependability

Trustworthiness = --------------------------------------------------------------
Self-Interest

If we are to become trusted advisers then we must be willing to put our own agenda to one side.