Advising is like sowing seeds, first prepare the soil!

It is very difficult to live among people you love and hold back from offering them advice.
Anne Tyler
The easiest thing to do is to give advice. But advising is not an end in itself; it should produce the desired result, because advising is a responsible portfolio.
 We should learn from the nature. No matter how fertile is the soil and the seed, the soil has to be prepared before sowing the seeds. The seed also has to be cured and
cleaned in order that it sprouts in the fertile soil.
This metaphor is relevant to advising. We have to prepare the mind of the receiver so that he is in a frame of mind to receive, accept and implement the advice. Like we prepare the seeds, we should also do some home work on the content and process of advice. We have to rehearse the same, mentally evaluate if the process we have chosen is effective so that we achieve the desired result of advising. Choice of every word is important.
This is even more relevant when the advice relates to a major area involving personal transformation such as de-addition, habit change etc, which are difficult to implement.
In agriculture, you don’t blame the seed or the soil, but blame the farmer for a poor crop. It applies to the adviser also!

NC Sridharan
www.thetimefoundation.com
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On giving advice!

Advice is like snow – the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

It is said that the easiest thing to do is to give advice! But it is not true. Advising others is a very responsible portfolio and if not handled intelligently, will harm interpersonal relationship.

 There is a management tool called ‘5W1H’ which stands for the first letter of the five words Who, When, Where, What, Why and How. When advising someone, we should be clear on the following:

Who: Who is receiving our advice? Who are we to advice? Are we the right person? Is there someone who can do it better?

When: When are we giving the advice in terms of timing and context?

Where: Where are giving the advice? Is the ambiance good so that it is received properly?

What: What advice we are giving? Is it right? What words we are using? Will they produce the expected result?

Why: Why are we giving the advice? Why that person? What is the outcome we have in mind? Is the process suitable for achieving the desired result?

How: How are we going to advice? What is our strategy? Do we have a plan?

Next time when you want to advice someone, go through the above checklist and see the result of your advice!

N C Sridharan

www.thetimefoundation.com 

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