No doubt I’m preaching to the choir when I say that being in a service-oriented role is both rewarding and tiring. Even simple listening practices, the subject of the last two weekly tips, take energy and effort to do well.

We’re continuing our focus on listening from last week because it’s an underdeveloped business skill that can’t be emphasized enough.

Listening, listening, listening. It’s been the subject of many weekly tips, like #2, #7, #34 and #56.

Why so much talk about listening? Because it’s such a critical skill for trusted advisors to master.

Have you ever been annoyed by someone, only to have them teach you a really valuable lesson?

That happened today.

It seems I’m destined to have car trouble, and to therefore develop close relationships with auto service people. Years ago, a mechanic screwed up in a big way and taught me a valuable lesson about how mistakes can build trust. A few weeks ago, a service rep reminded me just how much the medium shapes the message.

You know that trust doesn’t just happen. It gets created person-to-person, and usually through conversations. The trust creation process, which was first shared by my co-author Charlie Green in his book The Trusted Advisor, is a five-step model describing how it works: engage, listen, frame, envision, and commit (“ELFEC” for short).

In 2013 my colleague and friend Jake Breeden published his first book—equal parts exciting and nerve-wracking, I’m sure, as it is for most authors. He sent a mass email to his subscriber list announcing the book’s long-awaited release.

I spend a lot of Weekly Tips real estate focused on one-on-one interactions with people—trust is personal, after all. Even when it does make sense to say a group or an organization is credible or careful or focused on your interests, the reference is usually to the people in it.

Are you game to try something with me?

Close your eyes and bring to mind your own trusted advisor—a person who is your safe haven for tough issues. Think of someone you can talk to about a wide range of topics, including sensitive ones both professional and personal.

There have been a few things in the news lately that have caught my attention. Last week, I wrote about ways to support a client who’s grieving, thanks to lessons offered by a well-known U.S. executive. This week takes a more upbeat turn with a lesson drawn from the world of U.S. horse racing.