Why Should the Boss Listen to You?: The Seven Disciplines of the Trusted Strategic Advisor

6.2. Commit Yourself to Management's Team

One of the more challenging issues you must face as a trusted advisor is the realization that to be inside, to be close by, to have that close relationship, you have to do more than just want to be there or feel that by virtue of your position you have some inherent right to be there. You have to take an emotional and psychological leap forward and put yourself as directly as possible into the environment and mentality of this person you are advising. How do you put yourself in the boss's shoes? One useful way is to be guided by a series of professional commitment statements. You can be comfortable with these statements because they help you get to where you need to be and reveal your commitment to understand, ...