One of the Productivity Roles of an Advisor


By Hans Bool


TThe advisor is productive in a variety of ways. Different advisors -- either internal or external ones -- will dedicate their time according to a certain preference. Communication is said to be one of the most important skill of the advisor. He communicates with the sponsor about the problem and with the (other) stakeholders about their view on the issue and additional requirements.

During this communication process -- which is not a continuous process -- the advisor prepares for his or her “verdict;” this verdict should be prepared with a set of arguments that serve the stakeholders according to their share in the process. The (final) opinion of the advisor should be a logical result of individual arguments that are formulated. The formula should be as transparent as possible.

In this role, the advisor is not committed to the content of the advice. And this is only possible for an internal advisor if the advice is not about organizational matters. An internal advisor can’t really advice independently about something he or she is part of.

Than the acceptance of the advice will follow; the sponsor will have to decide whether the advice will be implemented. This process could be seen as part of the previous step as a recurring activity in which the communication with the stakeholders continues.

The advice process is not finished until the after "sales" process is finished. In this step, the advisor should track what happened with this advice, how it has been accepted, rejected or amended and this information should be saved.

This last point is essential. Each results counts; not only the acceptance of the advice, but also the time it took and … the additional information and knowledge it generated. Each advice process generates knowledge about how the specific (your) organization deals with any issue; it is the job of the advisor to search for principles that are used in the organization; "how do we deal with issues in general and is this (current advice) such a situation for which we can lean on an existing principle or do we need to invent a new one, for this exception."

This is one aspect of the advisory process. One, leading to “a verdict” and (two) gathering “case law” of how to deal with issues in general.

© 2006 Hans Bool

Hans Bool is the founder of Astor White a traditional management consulting company that offers online management advice. Astor Online solves issues in hours what normally would take days.


More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Management Information:

Related Articles

Recruitment - What Youre Really, Really Looking For
Imagine that you're a sports coach and you need a new playeron the team. Would you walk up to someone in the street andsay - "I want you to come and play for my team.
Time Management Tips for Managers
Late last year I was presenting a workshop for the senior managers of a major organisation. Whilst doing a pre-workshop survey to assess the challenges these managers were experiencing it became very apparent to me that many of them were showing the signs of business burn-out.
Demise of the Lone Ranger Manager: A Lesson in Management Communication Style
When executives see themselves as solely responsible for the overall success of their enterprise, subordinates can hardly be blamed for acting according to predictions.Let's look at a familiar scene in classical American - if I may use the word - mythology.
Entitlement Programs Kill Productivity
In articles I've written over the years, I have used "laissez-faire," a term more frequently used to characterize governments than businesses, to describe a rather laid-back management style. When I use this term, I am referring to management personnel who put very little pressure on employees to achieve their full potential by pushing them toward peak performance levels.
The Three-category Approach to Performance Management: Effort, Ability, or Environment
Performance Management is the act of managing personal or organizational performance. What can complicate this process are all the factors that can arise where a textbook process meets the situations and people that exist in your world.
Innovation, Idea Selection, Valuation
There is no sure fire route to commercial success, but one can maximize the chances of selecting those ideas that are most likely to succeed. Organizations short of R & D resources must implement such processes.
Why Outsourcing Could Be The Best Thing You Do For Your Business
While it's probably not true to say that the traditional 9-5 job is on its way out, it IS true that more and more businesses these days are starting to see the value of outsourcing the jobs they can't cover themselves. Things like copywriting, PR, programming - even secretarial and admin support - are being outsourced to freelancers working from home or running their own business.
Instantly Uncover Your Corporate Culture
Best Definition of "Corporate Culture"If you ask 10 people to define "organizational culture," you will get 11 different answers!Fortunately, from my consulting and writing on leadership and organizational change, I created my definition of organizational culture:"Corporate culture is how every employee knows she or he must act - even if no one is watching."Knowing your company's culture proves crucial for multiple reasons, including:+ Only organizational changes that fit into your company's culture will succeed.
Organizing The Information
Putting a piece of paper in a file folder is easy; finding it again is the hard part. There are ways to make your files easier to use and your papers easier to find.
In Leadership, The Critical Convergence Drives Great Results
The Leader's Fallacy lives! We subscribe to the Fallacy when we believe our enthusiasm over a particular leadership challenge is automatically reciprocated by the people we lead.If ignorance is bliss then leaders going around blithely adhering to the Leader's Fallacy have cornered the market on happiness.
Enhancing the Motivational Climate of Your Workplace
It has been well documented that employees' productivity and job quality increase when we are made to feel welcome at work. In other words, when the motivational climate is enhanced to meet their needs they produce quality work at the 100% rate.
Toxic Bosses
What's everyone's favorite topic around the water cooler? Bad bosses! You know, the ones who make life in the office unbearable? Here are some of the more common varieties you'll find.1.
6 Ways to Keep Things Simple
Six Ways to Keep Things Simple We can have greater success with our Clients when we make our work processes and agreements simpler and more elegant. This article will give you ideas for making your contracts and commitments, projects and plans, reports and relationships with Clients simpler.
Leadership Skill: How to Handle Difficult Conversations
A good leader has the ability to empower others. It is important that a leader develop people who want to share and help in carrying out the goals of the organization.
Assessing Managers for International Competence
How do you select staff for international assignments? It's an important question because, no matter how effective and successful your employees may be at home, they cannot be guaranteed the same performance in a different culture-unless, that is, they can demonstrate some key competencies. But beware, these may be quite different from the competencies they need to succeed in their own environment.
Business Innovation - the Value of Structure
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.
How to Build Your Business and Still Take Time Off
We all know people who are like human dynamos. They seem to make an art form of building their business and still enjoy quality time with friends and family.
Collections Management
How long does it take your customers, clients or patients to pay you for the products or services you have provided?Have you developed a consistent collection management program?Your answer to the above questions is a leading indicator as to how well you collection management is. Sending an invoice doesn't always result in payment.
Innovation Management - smart people dont necessarily produce great ideas
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation.
The "Better Product" fallacy
Another fallacy ingrained in the minds of most marketing managers is the belief that the better product will win the marketing battle.Behind the thinking of many marketing managers is the thought that "truth will out.