The best and the brightest use advisors and experts. In fact, one could say that they are the best and the brightest because they utilized trusted advisors throughout their careers. Whether in business, sports, entertainment, academia, or politics–expert help is a fundamental enabler of success. That means that the demand for expert advice will grow and the competition will increase for such help. This isn’t a matter of “certificates” and “universities,” it’s a matter of specific skill and behavioral sets that create a trusting bond and reliance. Trusted advisors are beyond coaches—they are comprehensive resources and supporters. The Modern Trusted Advisor employs important mastery traits, such as subordinating ego, applying shared experiences, and managing emotional, mental, and intellectual health. We are entering a world of “no normal” today and leaders must inspire others daily. This is the book that prepares you to inspire those leaders.

Beside talent and a sterling portfolio, what can world-class consultants like Deloitte & Touche, Societe General and Towers Perrin boast has helped them achieve success in our entrepreneurial economy? They all have the inside track on the indispensable "Trusted Advisor" model for client relationships, created by renowned experts Charles Green and Robert Galford. Now Green and Galford have teamed up with the acclaimed David Maister in order to help their latest high-profile, fast-forward client: you. In this straightforward guide, Maister, Green and Galford show readers that the key to professional success goes well beyond technical mastery or expertise. Today, it's all about the vital ability to earn the client's trust and thereby win the ability to influence them. In these high risk times, trust is more valuable than gold. With this critical, highly detailed and accessible resource, readers will learn the five crucial steps for developing, managing and improving client confidence. For both emerging and established entrepreneurs and consultants, THE TRUSTED ADVISOR is the first truly indispensable business book of the decade.

A practical guide to being a trusted advisor for leaders in any industry In this hands-on successor to the popular book The Trusted Advisor, you'll find answers to pervasive questions about trust and leadership—such as how to develop business with trust, nurture trust-based relationships, build and run a trustworthy organization, and develop your trust skill set. This pragmatic workbook delivers everyday tools, exercises, resources, and actionable to-do lists for the wide range of situations a trusted advisor inevitably encounters. The authors speak in concrete terms about how to dramatically improve your results in sales, relationship management, and organizational performance. Your success as a leader will always be based on the degree to which you are trusted by your stakeholders. Each chapter offers specific ways to train your thinking and your habits in order to earn the trust that is necessary to be influential, successful, and known as someone who makes a difference. Self-administered worksheets and coaching questions provide immediate insights into your current business challenges Real-life examples demonstrate proven ways to "walk the talk" Action plans bridge the gap between insights and outcomes Put the knowledge and practices in this fieldbook to work, and you'll be someone who earns trust quickly, consistently, and sustainably—in business and in life.

"I had the privilege of working closely with Marvin and McKinsey for many years. This book makes Marvin come to life and perpetuates him as a role model." -Peter F. Drucker "A wonderful book about a wonderful man. In many ways, Marvin's McKinsey framed the hypotheses in our own search for excellence-for example, passion for values, belief in people as the prime resource, and willingness to let people experiment. As well as I thought I knew Marvin, however, this remarkable book, drawing on the collective memories of those who worked most closely with him, taught me a ton about how extraordinary the man really was and what made him that way. Many have called Drucker the man who invented management; I think history will conclude that both he and Marvin Bower share that pedestal." -Bob Waterman, coauthor of In Search of Excellence "Marvin Bower became a legend, not just within McKinsey & Company, but within professional services and the business world more broadly. In everything he did and said, he embodied the professional approach and the importance of values. This book sheds remarkable insight on a remarkable man and on the power of constancy of purpose." -Ian Davis, Worldwide Managing Director, McKinsey & Co. "It is as Marvin would have wanted it-simple, honest, fact-based, wonderful stories with a long-term perspective. An insightful read about the father of management consulting." -Lois Juliber, retired COO, Colgate-Palmolive "This book provides fascinating insight into the early days of modern management consulting. It is an extremely enlightening look at the origin of one of America's most important professions and one of America's most innovative leaders." -Thomas H. Lee, founder, Chairman, and President, Thomas H. Lee Partners L.P.

The face of financial services has evolved – and, along with it, the very nature of financial advice. In an increasingly complex world where people are starving for someone they can trust, the time has come for financial advisors to rise to the occasion and reinvent the value they provide to better serve their clients. Of course, to make this evolutionary leap, advisors require a proven, time-tested strategy. A methodology established by one of the most successful advisors in the country and backed by decades of real-world application among thousands of advisors across the country. In Proven in the Trenches: 11 Principles to Maximize Advisor Value and Transform Your Firm’s Future, advisors will receive an actionable game plan touching on the core dimensions of a highly-functioning financial services firm: • Understanding Investor Behavior • Blueprinting Your Life and Your Business • Attracting Talent by Growing Your Own • Putting Process Behind Your People • Building a Brand that Connects and Converts • Wealth Planning and What It Takes to Revive Advisor Value • Creating a Compelling Client Experience • Evaluating Partnerships • Attracting New Clients and the Art of Ethical Persuasion • Plotting Your Succession • Making the Shift from Advisor to CEO

Professional service firms differ from other business enterprises in two distinct ways: first they provide highly customised services thus cannot apply many of the management principles developed for product-based industries. Second, professional services are highly personalised, involving the skills of individuals. Such firms must therefore compete not only for clients but also for talented professionals. Drawing on more than ten years of research and consulting to these unique and creative companies, David Maister explores issues ranging from marketing and business development to multinational strategies, human resources policies to profit improvement, strategic planning to effective leadership. While these issues can be complex, Maister simplifies them by recognising that 'every professional service firm in the world, regardless of size, specific profession, or country of operation, has the same mission statement: outstanding service to clients, satisfying careers for its people and financial success for its owners.'

SELLING THE INVISIBLE is a succinct and often entertaining look at the unique characteristics of services and their prospects, and how any service, from a home-based consultancy to a multinational brokerage, can turn more prospects into clients and keep them. SELLING THE INVISIBLE covers service marketing from start to finish. Filled with wonderful insights and written in a roll-up-your-sleeves, jargon-free, accessible style, such as: Greatness May Get You Nowhere Focus Groups Don'ts The More You Say, the Less People Hear & Seeing the Forest Around the Falling Trees.