TY  - JOUR
TI  - Reflections On Wasylyshyn’s Trusted Leadership Advisor Case Study
AU  - Blanton, J.
AB  - Karol Wasylyshyn’s (2003) description of the long relationship between a consulting psychologist (first as an executive coach and then as a trusted leadership advisor, or TLA) and a senior executive is a welcome contribution to the literature and a valuable aid to training. Although (alas!) we cannot observe Dr. Wasylyshyn (2017) in action, this paper helps meet the need for a deeper understanding of the actual work of a senior coach and TLA. Her examples of specific interventions—for example, the visual leadership metaphor (VLM) and her postmeeting follow-up notes—will become useful additions to many a coach’s toolkit. However, the heuristic value of presenting the tools, specific dialogues, review documents, and more should not obscure the rich, thought-provoking conceptual underpinnings in this article. Dr. Wasylyshyn is able to move smoothly from Vince’s personal journey to become CEO to a valuable theoretical framework for consultants working with senior executives as TLAs. Her focus on the TLA role begins to fill a major gap in consulting literature. Yet much of the article is also relevant for coaches in their current work and as an inspiration to become a TLA. Part of the value of her model is its deceptive simplicity. In our attempts as scholars to address the full complexity and nuance of our work, our models sometimes become so detailed and complicated that they lose their practical value. Dr. Wasylyshyn is clearly aware of the intricacy of this work and yet has developed a model that will be usable by novice coaches as well as seasoned TLAs. A danger of this simplicity is that the application may seem easy when, in practice, it requires a high level of insight and skill. Attempts to implement these ideas without such ability could lead to serious problems. There are many topics in the paper that deserve comment, but I have time and space for only four. I hope the paper and these responses will provoke many more stimulating discussions and articles on the theory and practice of TLAs.
IS  - 1
JO  - Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research
PY  - 2017
SP  - 36
EP  - 40
UR  - psycnet.apa.org/journals/cpb/69/1/
VL  - 69
LA  - English
ER  -