We Get, and Give, Lots of Bad Advice. Here’s How to Stop.

APS Member/Author: Adam Grant

When we turn to others for advice on major career decisions, they sometimes steer us in the wrong direction. Warren Buffett’s father, along with his mentor, discouraged him from entering the securities business. Walt Disney’s brother and wife both tried to talk him out of making “Snow White.”And last summer, when I polled my Twitter followers about the worst career advice they had received, Monica Lewinsky’s response went viral. She had been told that “an internship at the white house will be amazing on your resume.”

Why does so much career advice end up being misguided? As an organizational psychologist, I’ve given more than my share of bad advice. After encouraging multiple students to take jobs that made them miserable, I decided to study how we can get better at giving and seeking advice.

The problem starts with who we approach for advice: We often listen to the wrong sources. I’ve watched many students rely on their parents and grandparents for guidance, forgetting that they were raised in an era when it was common to spend an entire career in one organization.

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Even if we go to people who are qualified to give advice, it’s no guarantee that they will know what’s right for us. Advisers often fall into what sociologists call conversational narcissism, focusing too heavily on their personal preferences and experiences rather than taking our perspective.

Read the whole story (subscription may be required): The New York Times