Incompetence in getting expert advice - a learning moment

Imagine that you have access to best experts in the field, and time and money is not a problem. Who should you ask for advice if you have to console a family of a recently killed soldier?

Here's some of your choices:
- a psychologist;
- a priest;
- a specially trained military officer with some help from volunteers (like they do it in the Israeli Army);
- a high-ranking retired general.

Picking the general is probably your worst choice because he's been trained in how to appeal to one's sense of duty when sending soldiers to their potential deaths (see Kahneman-Klein discussion on expertise). A bereaved family may specifically resent the general's appeal to duty in sending their husband/son/father to die. Gegetting an advice from a wrong expert may blow up in your face and discredit the expert.

This is exactly what happened to General Kelly. His informal advice to our so-called-president ended up in a public fiasco. Moreover, he was compelled to defend his poor advice, which exposed his lack of judgement on the subject.

We can draw two learning moments from this example:
- having money and access to expert services doesn't guarantee a high-quality outcome if the person procuring the expertise is incompetent;
- if you are an expert you should refuse provide services to incompetent clients.