Trusted Advisor Training Moves Back to In-Person

Over the past three years, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered how professional development was conducted at Corner Alliance. As a result, Trusted Advisor training, one of our most important and interactive workshops, was moved to virtual, creating a new paradigm of how Corner Alliance supports its employees. On May 5, 2023, the World Health Organization no longer qualified COVID-19 as a global emergency, giving Corner Alliance the green light to once again conduct Trusted Advisor training in person.

The Trusted Advisor training is key to how Corner Alliance delivers, grows, and thrives with our clients. Trust relationships are vital to the way we support our clients to achieve their missions. Building trustworthiness in the professional environment, whether internally with colleagues or externally with clients and partners, is one of the greatest determinants of success. Corner Alliance uses The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook methodology by Charles Green copyrighted© 2000 to train new hires. One of the key components of the Trusted Advisor training is understanding and implementing the Trust Equation, which benchmarks your trustworthiness against the four variables.

Photo by The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook

“The training provides a consistent pathway to client trust,” said Jared Goff, Principal Consultant, “which is based upon real-world examples and company culture. For future projects, I will employ the Trusted Advisor guidance.” According to the Trusted Advisor methodology, four components affect trust. Three components increase a person’s trustworthiness: credibility, reliability, and intimacy. The fourth one, self-orientation, reduces a person’s trustworthiness if not managed correctly. The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook details the below variables:

CREDIBILITY

Your Spoken Word and interpersonal presence mean the world for how you show up to build trustworthiness. It’s also okay if you do not know everything. No one does! Be honest about what you know and what you don’t. Actionable example: “I don’t know but I will go find out” or “I messed up and this is what I will do to resolve it.”

RELIABILITY

Your actions follow your words and people can count on you. Actionable example: Show up on time.

INTIMACY

Creating a safe space for someone to trust you with something. Actionable example: Listen beyond words - think through ‘what is really going on here?’

SELF-ORIENTATION (Lower your S)

Who is the focus? Your clients, your stakeholders, and your team. Actionable example: Don’t rush to a solution or hoard the discussion.

Corner Alliance embraces The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook principles because they reinforce our dedication to our commitments to deliver, grow, and thrive. Hear from some of the most recent participants about the latest training.

“The Trusted Advisor guidance helped me understand that each client interaction is situational and requires unique care,” said Anam Khan, Consultant I. “The training has helped me think critically about how to problem solve and mitigate issues while also addressing non-business aspects of the relationship (emotions, frustrations, needs).”

“As a new team member on a newly formed team, the Trusted Advisor guidance is a helpful roadmap to remind me not to jump into problem-solving/action mode. I am there to listen, then listen some more. I will continue to ask questions for understanding and get to know both the client and team members,” said Karen Bourne, Consultant I. “I am building towards a trust-based relationship, and I have to be patient with the process.”

One of the course’s Lead Trainers and Principal Consultant, Max Romanik, states “At Corner Alliance, one of the ways we live our commitments to Deliver, Grow, and Thrive is through trust-based leadership. Leading with trust opens opportunities for deeper connections on our teams and with our clients. From a foundation of trust, we foster our internal talent helping individuals become the best versions of themselves; and our clients experience the transformative power of having trusted advisors guide them through their mission space.”