The Other Side of the Table: What 25 Years of Advising Taught Me About Being a Better Client

By Scott Gelbard, Founder — SGI Global Partners / Managing Partner — Peak Ventures

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Most articles about business advisory are written from the advisor's chair. I've spent the better part of 25 years in that seat, across North America, Europe, and Asia, advising founders, family businesses, and institutional investors through some of the most consequential decisions of their professional lives. I know the rhythm of that side of the table well.

But here's what I don't talk about enough: some of the most instructive moments in my career came from sitting on the other side — as a client, an investor, or a principal seeking counsel. Those experiences didn't just teach me about the quality of advice available in the market. They changed how I approach every advisory relationship I manage today.

If you're a business owner, a family office principal, or a founder working with advisors, this one's for you.

The Most Expensive Mistake Clients Make Is Hiring for Comfort

I've watched brilliant people hire advisors they already agreed with. Not consciously — no one walks into a search process thinking, "I want someone who will confirm my assumptions." But the pull toward validation is powerful. When you've built something real, when the stakes are high, and when you're under pressure, the advisor who says "you're right, here's how we execute" feels better than the one who says "wait — have you considered the downside scenario?"

The best advisors I've ever worked with — and the best advisor I've tried to be — are the ones who are willing to be unpopular. They're not contrarians for sport. But they won't let a flawed premise pass unchallenged just because the client is enthusiastic about it. When you're hiring outside counsel, look for someone who pushes back thoughtfully and early. It's not a red flag. It's the only sign that matters.

Access Means Nothing Without Utilization

One pattern I observe repeatedly: a business owner hires a strong advisory team, then systematically underutilizes them. Calls that should happen quarterly happen once a year. Strategic reviews get postponed in favor of operational fires. The advisor's network — which was often cited as a primary reason for the hire — goes untapped because the introduction was never requested.

This is a client failure, not an advisor failure.

An advisory relationship is not a service you purchase and set aside for emergencies. It's a dynamic, living engagement that requires investment from both sides. The clients who extract the most value are the ones who stay engaged: sharing context, asking hard questions, pushing the advisor into uncomfortable territory. The clients who treat advisory as a passive insurance policy almost always end their engagements wondering what they paid for.

What You Share Determines What You Get Back

I've been in advisory relationships — as both the provider and the recipient — where the principal withheld critical information. Sometimes it was deliberate. Sometimes it was unconscious, a product of habit or compartmentalization. Either way, the effect is the same: the advisor is making recommendations in partial darkness.

The best outcomes I've seen in complex advisory engagements happen when the client treats the advisor as a true confidant. That means sharing the uncomfortable stuff — the family dynamics behind the governance question, the personal financial pressure behind the capital structure decision, the reputational concern behind the market entry hesitation. When an advisor has the full picture, they can actually help you. When they're working from a sanitized version of reality, they're just producing sophisticated-sounding guesses.

Trust is the operating system of a high-functioning advisory relationship. If you don't have it, build it before you make any major moves together. If you can't build it, find a different advisor.

The Advisor Who Tells You When to Stop Is Worth More Than the One Who Helps You Execute

Over a career spent helping companies grow, expand internationally, and close transactions, I've come to believe that the single most valuable thing an advisor can do is tell you when not to do something. Not every deal should close. Not every expansion should happen. Not every partnership should be formalized.

When I look back at the engagements where the client was best served — where the relationship produced real, durable value — the moments I'm most proud of weren't the successful closings. They were the moments where the right call was to walk away, and the client was willing to hear it.

That requires courage on the advisor's part. But it also requires maturity on the client's side — a willingness to pay for advice you don't want to act on, because the alternative is acting on an analysis you can't trust.

The Standard You Should Hold Your Advisors To

Here's what I'd tell any principal assembling an advisory team: hold your advisors to a high standard of candor, not just competence. Technical excellence is table stakes in any credible practice. What separates the advisors worth keeping is the ones who are consistently willing to be honest — about the market, about the risks, and when necessary, about you.

Ask them directly: "What would you tell me not to do right now?" Watch how they answer. That response will tell you more about the quality of the relationship than any credential, fee structure, or reference call ever will.

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About the Author

Scott Gelbard is the Founder of SGI Global Partners Inc., a boutique family office and strategic advisory firm, and the Managing Partner of Peak Ventures, an international business consulting practice. With more than 25 years of experience advising businesses, families, and investors across North America, Europe, and Asia, Scott focuses on strategic advisory, capital markets, international growth, and governance. He writes on leadership, international business, and the craft of advisory work.