Chapter One
What Clients Want: From Knowledge Worker to Wisdom Worker
The great professional helps you eliminate issues that are not a problem, and then he
focuses you in on the really critical dimensions of the situation. You are permitted to be a bit
confused and general. And at the right moment, the good ones ask the right questions. It's an
iterative process; you don't want someone peddling a solution, who comes with an agenda — which
many do. The good adviser excels at the integration process, but he doesn't necessarily arrive
at the solution for you. He knows my industry, but is broader than that. Finally, he can bring
you comfort as well. Empathy, not sympathy.
Ray Smith, former chairman and CEO, Bell Atlantic
In January of 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt invited Wendell Willkie, who had lost his
own bid for the presidency the year before, to visit him at the White House. Sitting in front of
the fireplace in the Oval Office, Willkie steered the topic of conversation to Harry Hopkins,
who was Roosevelt's most trusted adviser. Hopkins had been instrument ... read full excerpt from: Clients for Life: How Great Professionals Develop Breakthrough Relationships ebook
