Getting the Right Advice

I recently said to a person, “Would you rather I cheered as you leap over the edge of a cliff or say something to stop you from jumping?” As I’m sure you can appreciate, it was a tough conversation.

A true friend is a person that says something to you when they think you’re in danger of losing your shirt in a business deal. A Facebook friend is a person that clicks “like” at the stupid idea just before you lose your house.

The silly thing is that we often get disgruntled by the friend who is trying to provide some guidance….and in our exuberance, we don’t listen to what they are trying to say to us. After all, who are they to pour a bucket of cold water on the brilliant new venture we’re just about to invest in?

The other night, I found myself in these exact circumstances but on the other side of the fence. A few friends were trying to provide me with some good advice about a new project I was about to embark upon.

In my arrogance, all I could think about was saying to them, “So what’s the view like from the cheap seats?” Gratefully, I didn’t say the words aloud but rest assured, I was thinking them.

It took me about half an hour to calm down and realise what they were suggesting had wisdom and despite my emotions they weren’t against me. In the end, after careful consideration I decided to adopt many of their suggestions. BTW, the project I’m working upon revolves around helping a group of young people reach their full potential.

In terms of business ventures, it’s really easy to get so caught up in the idea you forget to listen to some sounds advice. If you haven’t done so already, I would encourage you to find a few (not too many) people that you really trust and invite them to speak into your life. What does this mean?

It means that no matter what you are doing and how many pressures you have on you at the time, when one of these individuals says something to you, you immediately stop what you’re doing and listen.

Sounds easy doesn’t it? What you will actually find is this will be one of the hardest things you’ll ever do in your life. It requires you to put your emotions and preconceptions aside and openly acknowledge you could be wrong. It also means you need to shut-up and start listening….no mean feat for many entrepreneurs!

Remember, when people like this speak they are often taking a risk themselves by saying some really difficult things. It could be they’re pointing out the fact you’ve become a workaholic, a grumpy bad father, a terrible husband or whatever you do, think twice about an investment. These people are gold and will stand by you through the good and bad times.

Never forget, the crowd may cheer but really think about what they are cheering about. In the Roman arenas the crowd cheered for blood….let's make sure it's not yours.