Do You Really Want Advice?

Do you really want advice? In life? In financial matters? This question recently occupied my thoughts during a flight to Miami. A friend had asked me for advice on how to work better with her boss. Their relationship had become rocky, and she felt boxed in, cornered, and isolated. Yet, she loved her job and valued the impact she was making, even if she didn’t feel a strong connection with her boss.

As I began to type a response, I realized how little I knew of the whole situation. I wasn’t aware of how my friend presented herself at work, the expectations that had been set, met, or missed, or even her boss’s perspective on their relationship.