# Confidant Needed By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-08-20 If one goes into management, one will benefit from considering who will be one’s confidant. Managers need a sounding board. Even for introverts who prefer thinking to talking, there is a need to give voice to ideas and situations. A manager cannot speak openly about everything to everyone at all times. Discretion is needed. While decisions are being deliberated, having somebody to whom one can talk is helpful. A key determination is whether the selected confidant will be within the organization. The only benefit of an internal confidant is that the person will have the needed context. There are plenty of demerits to selecting an internal confidant. First, the person one confides in will have power by gaining access to privileged information. Second, the confidant will gain a degree of leverage over the manager because of knowing the manager’s secret thoughts. Lastly, the manager may have a favorite within the organization based on the special relationship required to share privileged information. In general, it is frequently preferable to select an external confidant. But whom should one select? Ideally, the selected confident is someone the manager likes, respects, and trusts. Additionally, one should be comfortable with the person. Selecting a confidant might be among the most important decisions a manager makes. Interestingly, most business textbooks or popular publications do not cover this issue. Management is presented as if its execution is seamlessly contained within the individual's mind and the organization's operations. It isn’t. A benefit derived from the discussion is that one would think that within the capitalist system, there would be ads for “confidant needed.” The absence of these positions descriptions does not indicate that they are not needed. Rather, it suggests that admitting and discussing the need is improper. Such a taboo is counterproductive. Confidants are essential. The need for confidants in management is suggestive of the broader need for solidarity. #### Related Items [[Management]] [[Wisdom]] [[Strategy]] [[Confidant]] [[Organization]] [[Information]] [[Discussions]] [[Trust]] [[Taboo]]