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This blog was last updated in 2019.


We want trusted advisors to help us with our most pressing problems.

There are many types of “advisors”;

Personal advisors, business & legal advisors, work-life advisors and so on  – in fact the list of advisors seems almost endless.

How do you assess whether the person you are dealing has what it takes to be your trusted advisor?

It’s important to choose correctly, because if your trusted advisor steers you in the wrong direction, it could have overwhelming consequences.

So, when you need to assess an advisor’s trustworthiness, try using this formula. The formula applies to advisors that offer services related to the operational, administrative, financial, legal and regulatory areas of your dental practice.

T = (  C + R + D ) ÷ S

 

Where:

C = CREDIBILITY – the quality of a person being believed in.   Is the advisor a logical and clear communicator? Does the advisor have strong knowledge and credentials?

R = RELIABILITY – the quality of a person performing dependably.  Can the advisor deliver results? Can they provide compelling examples of their work?

D = DISCRETION – the quality of a person’s good judgement and discrimination.   Does the advisor to ask the “right questions” instead of asking questions that seem to come from a checklist?  Is your relationship with the advisor one-on-one and personal, or one-on-many and less personal?

S = SELF-ORIENTATION – the quality of a person’s self-focus.  Does the advisor appear to be wedded to a particular outcome or seem less interested in your needs than you would like?  Does the advisor appear inflexible with addressing your basic concerns or uncomfortable with changing agendas or objectives?

Wait – isn’t this formula just another BFO?

Don’t we already have this mechanism embedded in our frontal cortex?

We already know from experience that people who are self-centered are far less likely to serve in our best interests.

You got me! This is just another Blinding Flash of Obviousness

Still and all, it won’t hurt to remember that advisor “self-orientation” is a big warning sign that you should not ignore.