Everyone wants to be valued, heard and respected but, only some people succeed in achieving their objectives. James Lukaszewski, an established internationally recognized advisor, coach and crises management consultant, has effectively explained the attributes successful advisors develop and implement on their way to success. Why should the Boss Listen to you? The seven disciplines of the trusted strategic advisor shows the process of understanding leader’s expectations and further elaborates the way to shape consultant’s perspective to match leader’s requirement. It is a must read book for managers, executives and consultants who aspire to become champion strategic advisors.
The book is essentially divided into two parts. First part focuses on understanding leaders and established advisors; Lukaszewski asserts that the first and foremost step for an advisor is to know his leader, the environment and leader’s goals before offering any kind of advice. Advisor should know the decision making approach of the leader and the way leader manages his time. He further explains the process in detail by quoting seven steps to know leader’s expectations and five steps to offer effective advice. The trait of analyzing and formulating effective and crisp questions, focusing on important problems and providing useful feedback follows next. Finally, he gives five reasons leading to failure and five reasons leading to the success of a leader.
In its second part, the book elaborates crucial seven disciplines to acquire and hold leader’s confidence. Seven disciplines include “Be trustworthy, be verbal visionaries, develop a management perspective, think strategically, be a window to tomorrow, advice constructively, show the boss how to use your advice” (Lukazewski 5). Lukazewski says that in order to build successful relationship between the leader and advisor it is very important for the advisor to build trust: the leader should find his advisor honest and sincere. Offering clear and focused suggestion depends on honed verbal skills comprising future orientation, instructional abilities and storytelling. “Focus on tomorrow and take from yesterday only the positive, useful constructive ideas that can move the process forward, promptly. Focusing on future allows you to build tomorrow free of problems, misunderstandings and crippling assumptions of the past” (Lukazewski 9).He has laid special emphasis on developing analyst perspective and the need to align it with the leader’s goals. Lukazewski states that the advisor should see the organization as a whole and check if it is in the same lines as desired by the leader further orienting the analyst’s mindset to the leader’s viewpoint. Explaining seven virtues of strategy and five fatal flaws, the book polishes strategic thinking and elaborates utility of analyzing patterns and forecasting events towards the end.
Why should the Boss Listen to you? is written in very simple language using systematically explained points in brief steps that make them easy to remember. It is a very useful and important book for professionals and becomes all the more necessary in today’s scenario when companies operate on a global level bringing people to work together from several culturally and geographically diverse regions. Reading the book has made me analyze my presentation and advising skills. It has made me reconsider and improve the attributes I neglected otherwise. I had always aspired to become a verbal visionary but, never knew how; the book has provided useful guidance and steps helping me achieve the same. I will strongly recommend this book to people who aspire to become successful advisors.
Works cited
Lukazewski, James E. Why should the Boss Listen to you? The seven disciplines of the trusted strategic advisor. San Francisco: Jossey-bass, 2008. Print.