The Advice Trap by Michael Bungay Stanier Summary

The Advice Trap teaches leaders to overcome the instinct to give unsolicited advice by cultivating curiosity and asking questions. It focuses on taming the "Advice Monster"—behaviors like over-explaining, rescuing others, or micromanaging—to empower teams and improve decision-making. The book builds on concepts from Stanier’s The Coaching Habit, offering practical tools to shift from a directive to a coach-like leadership style.

This book is ideal for leaders, managers, coaches, and anyone seeking to improve communication skills. It’s particularly valuable for those struggling with micromanagement, burnout from over-advising, or teams needing more autonomy. Stanier’s actionable strategies also benefit educators and mentors aiming to foster critical thinking in others.

Yes—readers praise its concise, actionable format and real-world applicability. Over 1,000+ 5-star reviews highlight its transformative approach to leadership, though some note repetitive elements if already familiar with The Coaching Habit. The included online resources, like a free Advice Monster assessment, add practical value.

1. Tell-It: Compulsively offering solutions to assert expertise.
2. Save-It: Rescuing others to feel needed.
3. Control-It: Micromanaging to maintain power.

Stanier explains how these behaviors stifle team growth and provides frameworks to replace them with curiosity-driven questions.

While The Coaching Habit introduces seven essential coaching questions, The Advice Trap delves deeper into behavioral change. It addresses the psychological drivers behind advice-giving and offers strategies to sustain curiosity during high-pressure situations. Both books complement each other but can be read independently.

Foggy-fiers are six barriers that obscure the root challenge in conversations, such as assumptions, emotions, or conflicting priorities. Stanier provides techniques to clarify these “foggy” situations, like asking, “What’s the real challenge here?” to focus problem-solving efforts.

• Pause before advising: Replace “Here’s what you should do” with “What’s your take?”
• Use the 7 coaching questions: E.g., “What’s on your mind?” or “What was most useful here?”
• Normalize uncertainty: Encourage teams to sit with ambiguity before rushing to solutions.

• Easy Change: Clear problems with straightforward solutions (e.g., updating software). Advice works here.
• Hard Change: Complex, ambiguous challenges (e.g., improving team morale). Curiosity and coaching are more effective.

The book argues leaders often misapply Easy Change tactics to Hard Change scenarios.

Stanier debunks beliefs like:

• “Leaders must have all the answers.”
• “Taking control ensures success.”
• “Saving others proves your value.”

Instead, he advocates for humble, inquiry-based leadership.

It reframes failure as a learning tool, emphasizing “failing forward” through reflection. Stanier suggests asking, “What did this experience teach us?” rather than assigning blame. This aligns with the book’s focus on psychological safety and growth mindsets.

Yes—its emphasis on empowering others and reducing micromanagement suits distributed teams. Techniques like virtual coaching sessions and asynchronous reflection questions can bridge communication gaps in remote settings.

Some reviewers find its concepts overlapping with Stanier’s earlier work, particularly The Coaching Habit. Others note the humorous tone may undersell serious leadership challenges. However, most agree the practical exercises and online resources counterbalance these minor flaws.

With AI and automation reshaping workplaces, the book’s focus on human-centric leadership—coaching over controlling—aligns with trends toward empathy-driven management. Its strategies help leaders navigate hybrid work models and generational shifts in employee expectations.