Why Should the Boss Listen to You?: The Seven Disciplines of the Trusted Strategic Advisor

by James E. Lukaszewski

This is a book about gaining influence and becoming a key trusted advisor. It is for everyone who advises leaders and senior managers (accounting, finance, human resources, IT, law, marketing, public relations, security, and strategic planning) and for outside consultants in these functional staff areas. It’s also for operations people yearning to finally be heard and heeded by their boss.

Genres: Business, Leadership, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published February 8, 2008

About the author

I'm James E. Lukaszewski (loo-ka-SHEV-skee), an expert in managing and counteracting tough, touchy, sensitive corporate communications issues. I counsel companies facing serious internal and external problems. I'm frequently retained by senior management to directly intervene and manage the resolution of corporate problems and bad news. The situations I help resolve often involve conflict, controversy, community action or activist opposition. The fastest growing portion of my practice involves civil and criminal litigation.

I'm an author (several books, more than 130 articles) and a member of the editorial board for Ragan's Public Relations Journal, a contributing editor to Public Relations Quarterly, a contributing columnist to pr reporter and PR News, a member of InfoCom's Media Relations Insider editorial advisory board, and was the first crisis columnist for the PRSA's member publication, PR Tactics. I'm an internationally recognized speaker on crisis communications management, ethics, media relations, public affairs, and reputation preservation and restoration.

An accredited member of the International Association of Business Communicators (ABC) and the Public Relations Society of America (APR), I'm a member of the PRSA's College of Fellows (Fellow PRSA); Board of Ethics & Professional Standards. I'm recognized by the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics as a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP). I served as a crisis communications advisor to the International Disaster Advisory Committee, Agency for International Development, Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance from 1989 to 1992, and is a civilian advisor to several other federal agencies including the United States Marine Corps. I lecture annually at the U.S. Marine Corp's East Coast Commander's Media Training Symposium and was the second recipient of its Drew Middleton Award. I am the recipient of Ball State University's 2004 National Public Relations Achievement Award, the 2004 Patrick Jackson Award for Distinguished Service to PRSA, the 2005 PR News Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2006 Lloyd B. Dennis Distinguished Leadership Award.

I received my BA in 1974 from Metropolitan State University in Minnesota. I'm a former deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Economic Development and assistant press secretary to former Minnesota Governor Wendell Anderson. I founded Minnesota-based Media Information Systems Corporation in 1978. Prior to founding The Lukaszewski Group Inc. in 1989 I was senior vice president and director of Executive Communication Programs for Georgeson & Company and a partner with Chester Burger Company, both in New York City. My name also appeared in Corporate Legal Times as one of '28 Experts to Call When All Hell Breaks Loose,' and in PR Week as one of 22 'crunch-time counselors who should be on the speed dial in a crisis.

Reviews

[Erin Dinh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really easy and interesting book to read. the way he presented his advices and suggestions is so clear and impressive. The stories following after each lesson are really practical but funny and help you deeply understand and remember all the points!

[Steven Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Why should the boss listen to you?"

That's a question I've asked myself a time or two over the years, both in a state of reflection and in a state of frustration.

An equally important question might be, what's on your #reading list?

Why? Because one often leads to the other. If you're active working to build your knowledge and awareness, to expand on your understanding of the world around you, then you're probably going to have some insights to offer from time to time that might actually get people to listen to you.

When I first found myself in a position where my voice had influence, Jim Lukaszewski’s 2008 book, 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘠𝘰𝘶?, proved to be an invaluable resource. Drawing on decades of experience in crisis communication and executive consulting, Lukaszewski outlines a clear path for gaining influence — not through authority or technical expertise alone, but through disciplined behavior, emotional intelligence, and strategic insight. The focus of his message is on the seven disciplines that underpin a successful strategic advising.

𝟭. 𝗕𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘆. Build a reputation for integrity, discretion, and reliability.
𝟮. 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆. Speak in clear, compelling language that resonates with leadership.
𝟯. 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗮 𝚖̶𝚊̶𝚗̶𝚊̶𝚐̶𝚎̶𝚖̶𝚎̶𝚗̶𝚝̶ 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. Understand and align with the broader organizational goals and pressures.
𝟰. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. Focus on the long game and account for the fog of war.
𝟱. 𝗕𝗲 𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. The senior leader’s job is always about tomorrow; that’s where your focus needs to be.
𝟲. 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆. Provide counsel that is actionable, respectful, and timely.
𝟳. 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲. Stand firm when the heat is on, even when it risks personal discomfort.

Your boss's willingness to listen to you is defined by your own ability to listen deeply, speak wisely, and act with integrity; you gain influence through consistent, reliable behavior, not position. Your ability to lead from behind is a discipline of service, foresight, and emotional maturity.

[David Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful approach to gaining influence with senior decision makers. Nothing surprising exactly, but another example of how reframing what you already know can be very insightful. There is much that applies here to the military context both internally and when assigned as an advisor to other organizations. This book assumes the reader is advising in a Western cultural context. For those of you who, like me, are advising in a different cultural context, you will easily identify the parts that do not pair well. Even so, Lukaszewski's ideas about adopting a strategic mindset and his methods for communicating ideas in a succinct and meaningful way are tremendously useful in any context. It is easy to see why the US Army War College uses this book in its curriculum.

[Jason Watkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is book is a helpful starting point for advisors at strategic levels within their organization. However, it’s riddled with gimmicks and unscientific axioms. I do think there were useful tools on building trust with your boss. I don’t think one should bypass relationship building techniques—we are not robots. The author expresses a bias away from linear thinking towards strategic thinking however the book is basically a linear approach to advising executives. I do appreciate the author’s outlook on forward focused, solution oriented criticism.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author understands that companies are divided into operations, and the staff that support these operations. The premise is that a staff director must make the limited time with the executives focused and in their operational interest. The author encourages advisors to see an entire organization, not just the communications/HR/financial/etc. aspect and to develop expertise past one's specific staff function.

[Wilfredo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent guide for anyone in the Comms and PR profession who wants to move from being perceived as the PR guy or gal, to becoming a valued and trusted C-Suite business partner.

[Jolene · Rating 1 out of 5]

i really did not like this book, even though it was recommended to me strongly by many. It's arrogant.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was assigned to read in grad school. It's an interesting book and it has some good general reminders that can help you succeed at work (make sure everything is done as if it is a final with no mistakes, don't speak unless you're saying something important, no whining). A lot of the boss advice assumes that you are on the executive team level at your business and that you are supporting the CEO or the COO or someone very high up. It mentions that age is not a factor but also mentions the importance of "war stories" and having a good amount of past experience to draw upon and that would be more challenging to someone in the earlier years of their career. Overall, this is a good reminder of what is needed at work and what is not helpful.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probably the best "Business Self-Help" book I have read, ever. Mr. Lukaszewski comes from practical experience and provides easy to understand concepts and advice on how to be a trusted advisor. While I found some of the material to be common sense and ratified my current methods, much of it was eye opening and I definitely get to change my approach from here on out. I borrowed this one from the library, AND I'm pretty sure I'm going to order it from Amazon as I want to have it on hand for easy reference.

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book from the perspective 1) do I want the boss to listen to me and 2) do I have anything to say that the boss needs to hear? I walked away with a better appreciation of what Senior Leadership doesn't hear enough about (the candid truth from the front lines) and how I can chose to be someone who helps that get passed along.

[John Caves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting concepts for individuals that position themselves as advisors to organization leaders. I wrote down the 3 minute drill as a take away. I like to share information in concise ways and his six steps to position your opinion was valuable

[Joseph Serwach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great strategy book. Good advice and techniques. You are the table.

[John Poikonen]

Pharmacy Leadership Academy list

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good example of a business article that was stretched into a book. Lots of repetition and simplistic lists (too many lists), but also some useful, actionable ideas that I intend to try.