“Bad counsel is worst for the giver of it.”Publilius Syrus · Sentințe · -50 · Sentințe, 313
Bad advice comes back on the advisor, not just on the one who follows it.
The idea rests on reputation and responsibility. The person advised can admit a mistake and correct course; the adviser has staked his credibility and, if the advice was meant to harm, has revealed his character. Bad words circle back to their source. A manager who pushes a colleague toward a bad decision for his own gain loses everyone's trust once the scheme surfaces, even if the colleague bore the immediate loss.
The card showed who pays for bad advice. The next step: how to tell, before following any advice, whether the giver means it in good faith. One simple sign is whether the adviser owns the opinion publicly. A friend who tells you, in front of others, that a course is worth taking is signing his advice. One who whispers it to you while telling others something else keeps an escape door open. Someone risking nothing by telling you something has no reason to think twice. And that opens the next question: what stops you from putting your own moral signature on your advice?
Why it matters Useful when giving or receiving advice: it reminds you that an adviser signs morally for what he says, so his character deserves as much scrutiny as his intent.