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

4.2. Trust and Influence

Having influence means that when the advisor speaks, recommends, challenges, or teaches, decisions will be affected in almost every case. Sometimes just a look between the trusted advisor and the powerful person is enough to change the flow of events or decisions. Real influence is built incrementally over time, mostly through the advisor's initiative. One potentially dangerous benefit of having influence is that those around you, those below you, and even those above you recognize that you have this special ingredient in your relationships with those you are advising. The potential drawback of having influence over important individuals and events is the very interesting and serious level of risk you can incur. Those ...