The issue of trust comes up regularly when discussing the use of consultants and advisors - we all want to become 'trusted advisors' to our clients - but clients often find it hard to know which advisors to trust.
I've just had eye surgery and while unable to do anything else have been pondering what it was that made me choose and ultimately trust this particular surgeon with one of the most vulnerable and critical bits of me.
To kick off, I went to her initially because the optician I've been going to for many years recommended her - in his words, 'if I needed surgery she's the one I'd choose'. Qualifications and experience were a given since this is someone who works in both NHS and private practice and I'm fairly confident that you don't get the 'consultant' tag in that environment without having done the necessary training and testing.
So that's the starting point - but I could easily have backed out or changed my mind after meeting - so what else did the consultant do that confirmed my choice? She didn't ooze charm, in fact like most surgeons I've come across she was brisk, efficient and possibly a tiny bit 'gung-ho' - utterly confident she could 'fix' my problem - but I left entirely confident that I was doing the right thing, with the right person.
I think there were two clinchers for me - she took the time to explain what the options were, had read her 'brief' (my referral letter) and treated me like an individual rather than assuming that the standard cure would be right for me. The final element was her sheer enthusiasm for her subject - it may sound weird, but having someone peer into your eye and exclaim 'what a lovely myopic disk' is incredibly reassuring!
I'd be interested to know if anyone else can share similar thoughts on why they've trusted someone?
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