Unbiased advice

This is one I’ve posted before but share it often with various people, plus it came up in a conversation last week, so felt it was due a re-post here.

When was the last time you had a truly unbiased business conversation?

Really think about this – who are your go-to people for business advice?…and what are their motivations?

Not everyone will have them. For some, helping you might be their only motivation.

But it can help to think about what they might gain (or suffer) from your outcome.

For example (motivation in bold):

• A supplier might make a credible argument for you going in a particular direction that would require you hiring them
• An employee might discourage you initiating a new project, for fear of being overwhelmed with extra work
• A board member might encourage a particular change in the org that would look good on their CV
• A mentor might not challenge your bad idea because you’re paying them

It sounds like I’m accusing everyone of having an agenda… I’m not.

Maybe they’re an innocent yes-person. Maybe they’re a bum-kisser. Maybe they’re completely naive about their motivations… or completely intentional about them. Maybe the advice they’re giving is actually the best option, despite their implied motivation.

You’ve probably said or heard some version of this: “of course they’d say we need a new website… they’re web developers!”.

Without being overly cynical, I believe it’s worthwhile considering whether someone you lean on for advice might have an alternate incentive for giving you their opinion.

Then you can choose to take the advice knowing it comes with an asterisk, or pass.