I just had to write this up because we run roundtables and mentors at my conference SaaS Connect which is finally happening again next week after 3 years and I had forgotten.
First make sure you have permission to offer advice. But remember…
No one likes advice. You cannot really know what is going on in someone else’s world. It’s easy to get it wrong. And advice isn’t about controlling people despite what another person said; that would be very aggressive and really an intervention not advice giving.
Instead ground your responses in your own experiences. You can never be wrong about yourself.
Tell relevant stories from your own experience.
Share resources that may be relevant.
Work through your own mental models you might apply in this situation. That isn’t telling people your mental framework is correct though you may believe it deeply. It’s saying “I use this framework. This is how I’d apply it.”
This gives the listener what they are really after when asking for advice. Insight into how you think. It’s a mystery to them and pulling back the curtain is a wonder.
They will learn and take what they can from the experience.
First make sure you have permission to offer advice. But remember…
No one likes advice. You cannot really know what is going on in someone else’s world. It’s easy to get it wrong. And advice isn’t about controlling people despite what another person said; that would be very aggressive and really an intervention not advice giving.
Instead ground your responses in your own experiences. You can never be wrong about yourself.
Tell relevant stories from your own experience.
Share resources that may be relevant.
Work through your own mental models you might apply in this situation. That isn’t telling people your mental framework is correct though you may believe it deeply. It’s saying “I use this framework. This is how I’d apply it.”
This gives the listener what they are really after when asking for advice. Insight into how you think. It’s a mystery to them and pulling back the curtain is a wonder.
They will learn and take what they can from the experience.