David Chow

As a facilitator and leadership development consultant, I specialize in designing and delivering customized Trusted Advisor programs for senior leaders and organizations seeking to develop a culture of trust-based leadership.  My primary focus is working with hi-tech and small and medium sized companies.  In addition to facilitating programs, I work with leaders in a one-on-one capacity helping them develop greater emotional intelligence, executive presence, and authenticity as a leader.

I have a B.S. in Psychology from the University of California, Davis, a M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Biola University, and a M.S. in Positive Organizational Development & Change from Case Western Reserve School of Management.  I’m also credentialed by the International Coach Federation as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with over 3000 hours of coaching experience.

Trust Story

I came across The Trusted Advisor early in my coaching and consulting career.  A major insight I got from the book was on understanding the evolution of the client-advisor relationship.  I had been naively assuming clients would treat me as a Trusted Advisor when I was in most cases a Subject Matter Expert.  Instead of seeing this disconnect as something I could address, I had been blaming my clients for not taking my advice seriously.

This was a major “light bulb” for me as I began to reevaluate all my client relationships on whether they saw me as primarily a Subject Matter Expert, Problem Solver, Valuable Resource, or Trusted Advisor.   This had a dramatic impact on how I saw clients and myself.  Instead of feeling frustrated and expecting clients to see me as Trusted Advisor, I was content on how clients viewed me and took the initiative to move the relationship to the next level.  Over time I began to see more and more clients rely on me as a Trusted Advisor and less as simply a Subject Matter Expert.