Who Is Your Éminence Grise?

Leaders at all levels need trusted advisors

L’Éminence Grise by Jean-Léon Gérôme (public domain — Wikimedia Commons)

“Be courteous to all but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.” — George Washington, 1783

We all need an éminence grise.

I’m not just saying that because I like to say “éminence grise”. You have to admit: it’s a cool-sounding phrase, isn’t it?

No, we need an éminence grise because there are times when we don’t see our challenges or problems with clear eyes. We have too much invested in a project, a team, or a relationship. Or we don’t see outside forces as they’re forming.

Sometimes, it takes outside counsel to advise us and to bring additional perspective to our decision-making.

The term éminence grise (literally, “gray eminence”) goes back to the 16th century, when Cardinal Richelieu installed François Leclerc du Tremblay, the Capuchin monk Père Joseph (1577 – 1638), as his right-hand man. Richelieu was Chief Minister under Louis XIII.

Richelieu’s ambition for Fren…