THE IMPORTANCE OF A SECOND OPINION.. in brief

Let me ask you a simple question. How many time have you drafted a letter prior to attaching it to your email. And then happen to review it. How many corrections, typos, incorrect use of words, phrases did you note? Some, many, a lot. You thank your stars that the letter was reviewed in time.

The more the gap between drafting the letter and sending it, means higher the need for review. If you are reviewing the draft of a colleague for example, the review may change the tone and tenor of the letter itself. This, in a nutshell, tells you something about the need of a review and how a second opinion works. Of course, over simplifying it may not be correct. Because, business decisions are something else. You are dealing with bankers & lenders, external agencies, your trade associates, your partners, your clients, your share holders.... your need of advisors, a board stems from the complexity of this interaction. 1. To Make Sure You're Not Overlooking Anything

When you're too close to anything viz. your company, your staff, it's easy to overlook things. A second set of eyes can help catch anything you might have missed. They can also offer new insights into the problem you're trying to solve.

2. To Get an Objective Perspective

It's important to be objective..period. But it can be difficult to do that when you're emotionally invested in the subject. A second opinion can help provide some much-needed objectivity. To get that extra perspective, to anticipate reactions.

3. To Challenge Your Assumptions

It's natural to make assumptions when you're working on anything. But some of those assumptions may be wrong. A second opinion can help challenge your assumptions and help you make better decisions.

4. To Avoid Herd Mentality

It's important to have a diverse team with different perspectives. It's actually a problem if everyone agrees with each other, all the time. A second opinion can help avoid this problem and make sure you're considering all the options.

Getting a second opinion helps you to avoid making costly mistakes. It can also help you make better decisions. It can help you to rethink biases and oversights which you may not be aware of. Sometimes, new dimensions could emerge for an existing problem which could changes the priorities for your actions.