Why take advice

Luckily, the essential leadership qualities needed to be successful can be learned and developed. Elen Veenpere. Learn how to upsell so that you get happier and more loyal customers. I knew I was in trouble. Why Ask for Advice in the First Place? And we try a lot of things. But the older we get, the more we know. And the more we know about some things, the more we assume we know about everything.

The more we assume we know, the fewer questions we ask. You only have one perspective: yours. How to Take and Filter Advice: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Chris Sacca , one of the most successful startup investors of all time , told the Dropbox co-founders that they should pivot rather than take on Google. The response he gave me was very general and could be given to anyone on this planet. Change the way you look at advice that everyone has to give.

You must do your preparation. Provide enough context and desired outcome to contribute to your success. First of all, asking advice is not the best way to get things you want. Fear of missing out on a great opportunity pushes you to look for shortcuts and cheats achieving your goals without investing time and effort. You are suffering from what psychology experts call as confirmation bias , the tendency to search for specific information that confirms your beliefs and ignores everything else.

Asking for advice where you are looking for confirmation is a waste of time for both parties. I like how people are always coaching me on everything. They are advising me on how to travel , manage money, write, read, exercise, give presentations and become influential. When you take or ask for advice, make sure the person is qualified in the field you want to improve.

Make sure to provide enough context and ask what worked for them in certain circumstances. Then instead of them trying to tailor that advice you can analyze and adapt it to your life. You, after all, know what is best for you. When I was a junior designer at a design agency in London, a senior designer would come to me and teach me how to do things one way or the other. However, I didn't say anything and kept doing what was taught by someone higher although I know it wasn't right.

Then one time, the director of the company asked me to push boundaries and produce a quick prototype. These words were liberating. Going back to the senior designer, I went back and told him that his process was inefficient and could be done twice as fast. He appreciated my input and started using the new process. The next time you are asked for advice, think. Are you ready to invest the time to ask all the necessary questions needed to get the big picture and provide the most valuable input?

When you take advice , ensure it comes from a qualified person who has enough context to provide you value. Advice from other people can save us a lot of time, trouble, and energy.

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Click here to read more. Some useful questions to ask yourself include: Do they have your best interests at heart? Are they biased about your situation for any reason? For example, did they make a mistake in a similar situation which is still haunting them? Do they understand you and your situation? Has their advice been helpful in the past? Do they have similar values to you? What helps you with your sorting? About Fiona Robyn Fiona Robyn is also on a mission to help other people to connect with the world through writing.