Opinion: Stop, look — trusted advisers all around

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2017 Trusted Advisers

Editor’s note: 2016 Legacy Adviser Jason Rader of BKD LLP reflects on the award and this year’s class.

I would like to congratulate Randell Wallace for being named the 2017 Legacy Adviser, and I would further extend my congratulations to all of the 2017 honorees of the Springfield Business Journal’s Trusted Advisers. What a great honor.

Each of you should be very proud of this recognition for your service to others in your chosen field as well as in your personal lives. As a trusted adviser, you have earned the trust, respect and confidence of customers, co-workers and business leaders in our community.

Each of us has had different trusted advisers over the course of our lives. When we are young, those advisers tend to be more personal to us, like our parents, older siblings and other family members. Over time, this group expands to teachers, coaches and faith leaders. Eventually, our trusted advisers grow to include influential co-workers, bosses, business associates and others that we admire and respect.

Those being honored by SBJ are individuals who have earned the respect and admiration of their colleagues – who have had such a strong positive influence on those relationships that they are being honored in a public way for the personal influence on others’ lives. At all stages of one’s life, having trusted advisers is so critically important. We all need these influencers to mentor, coach and guide us through our business and personal lives.

Becoming a trusted adviser can mean different things to different people. However, common traits include integrity, honesty, leadership, listening without judging, and the ability to see through surface issues in order to discern what’s most important, and then be able to provide guidance to navigate through those issues.

As I reflect on the past year, which included receiving the Legacy Adviser award, I have a feeling of not only a sense of pride and humbleness for receiving this award, but it also allowed me the opportunity to think back to those trusted advisers in my life that have influenced and guided me personally and professionally. For those people, I am very grateful, as I’m sure all of you are as well for those trusted advisers who have guided you in your path along the way. That path has led you to being honored in this publication for your service to others as a trusted adviser.

Thank you to the Springfield Business Journal for recognizing the importance of trusted advisers within our business community. Please take time to read the stories of those being honored in this issue. We can all learn from these individuals ways in which we can better utilize our talents to have a significant positive influence on others. All of us have the potential to be trusted advisers, and sharing our experiences and wisdom with others will only serve to strengthen our business community – and our community as a whole.

BKD LLP partner Jason Rader can be reached at jrader@bkd.com