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Tip 679: Consider several sources rather than one "Perfect" adviser. |
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Rarely does one person have the full scoop on anything. And even if he or she did, finding that perfect adviser could be extremely difficult and time-consuming. You need someone who is interested but not necessarily biased in the situation. You need someone who shows concern but does not become emotionally involved. You need someone who is knowledgeable but not overbearing. Therefore, if you can't find one person who suits the situation on all counts, ask for advice or feedback from several sources. Then pay particular attention to points where they agree and disagree. See if you can account for their disagreementwhat are their biases, involvement, and levels of expertise? |
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Tip 680: Evaluate the credibility of each source. |
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Some people get sidetracked by personality instead of credibility. They tend to value and accept feedback from those they like and discard feedback from those they don't like. You may want to accept a date based on personality, but where your career or future is concerned, evaluate ideas based on credibility. A particular client organization of mine has a staff psychologist who from time to time spends a few weeks shadowing key executives to observe their management styles. So when Ed speaks, they listen. He has academic credentials, he shares management's objectives, and he has supporting observations for his conclusions. In short, he's credible. He's the only person they meet and ask, "Hi, Ed, how am I doing?" |
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Is your coach or adviser in a position to know? Is she successful at doing what you want to learn? Does he have access to facts you think are relevant? |
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Tip 681: Remember that advice comes from philosophy and values. |
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Very little adviceoutside facts or observations of a situationcan be separated from one's values and perspectives on life in general. For example, which weighs more on the decision of a job change: Possibility for increasing responsibilities? Better salary? Job security? Or a spouse's reluctance to move across the country? Don't expect the adviser to be able to give you the final tally on all the issues involved. He or she can only help you view the items, not score them. |
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