Why You Should Pick Your Professional Advisors Before You Need Them
As a woman in the working world, knowing when and how to ask for help can be challenging. But having the right people on your team — whether they’re mentors, professional advisors or confidantes — is one of the most important steps you can take on your journey to career and life success. Taking the time to choose well-informed professionals before you need them will not only prepare you for future obstacles but also ensure that any guidance or advice received correctly positions that forward momentum you need. Before venturing down unknown roads, here’s why you should pick your professional advisors before you need them.
Benefits of Having the Right People on Your Team
Having the right people by your side has many benefits. Firstly, it helps build trust when seeking advice or requesting assistance in decision making. An experienced mentor or advisor provides an invaluable sounding board, allowing you to express doubts and concerns without feeling judged or ridiculed. They are also able to provide insight into current laws, rules, and trends, as well as create a plan tailored specifically to achieve your desired results. And they may even suggest resources and contacts that can help you find other professionals. That will save time which would have been spent researching solutions alone.
Choosing Well-Informed Professionals in Advance
Well-informed professionals should have extensive experience related specifically to your area of need. It is important that their opinions come from real world scenarios rather than just theory and research alone. Speak with several individuals before making a decision. Look carefully at each candidate’s background. Don’t simply choose based on titles or accolades alone since those factors won’t necessarily mean they’re well-suited for the position you need filled. Additionally, some may not charge any fee for an initial consultation, whereas others may require payment. Make sure that anyone you consider understands what you would like in terms of output as well as outcome.
Knowing When and How to Ask for Help
Forming relationships with trusted professionals ahead of time has significant implications for future endeavors. When an obstacle appears, these alliances allow access to wisdom from someone who knows firsthand what it takes to handle a situation, or before attempting risky moves on one’s own accord. This drastically reduces chances of mistakes or stalling out during a crucial moment due to lack of information or resources. Additionally, preselected advisors are likely more familiar with your vision than anyone else since they’ve already communicated with you. In some cases, it will be prudent to seek advice in advance of a known upcoming event, rather than reacting to a crisis down the road.
A Personal Perspective
I won’t pretend that I’m always prepared for every situation that arises. In fact, I accidentally stumbled on the importance of choosing professional advisors ahead of time. My career had taken me to Southern California, from my roots in a smallish midwest town. I wasn’t prepared for commuting and driving along with millions of other workers, and my first month found me dealing with a car accident.
It wasn’t my fault, but I had to find an attorney to get the claim settled. While it all did get settled, it wasn’t a pleasant experience. There were personality clashes, and probably a little too much macho know-it-all attitude from the lawyer. I decided then and there that I didn’t want to be alone in the crazy world I was now living in. So I set out to find a good attorney I could keep in my quick contact list. Someone I trusted in advance. While I haven’t had other legal needs (crossing fingers!), now if I had another car accident I’d just call my car accident lawyer in Los Angeles and know I was in good hands.
The same applies to all your professional advisors. Doctors, accountants, contractors, whatever professional expertise you might expect to one day need. Making a little time today to prepare for tomorrow always makes sense!