The role of an adviser has its roots in the Middle Ages, where only trusted and knowledgeable noblemen could become advisers to monarchs. Today, politicians, public figures, and entertainers also rely on advisers for guidance, but the term is most famously associated with organized crime bosses, such as Tom Hagen in The Godfather series. However, an adviser’s career can come to an abrupt end if they are not deemed useful in times of crisis.
The word adviser comes from the Italian for adviser or adviser, most famously for an organized crime boss. In Mario Puzo’s The Godfather film series, Robert Duvall’s character Tom Hagen is a consigliere in the fictional Corleone crime family. While Hagen is a practicing attorney, his role isn’t limited to counseling or legal protection. This person is also the third in command of the entire mafia family and has the executive power to make decisions instead of the boss. Only the sub-boss, usually a blood relative of the boss, has more authority in an organized crime family.
The role of adviser is a holdover from the Middle Ages, when the nobles of a conquered court placed themselves at the disposal of the new monarch. Only the most trusted and knowledgeable nobleman could become an adviser and could serve several generations of the ruling family. The person could be replaced as the political winds changed, but monarchs tended to keep only one at a time to avoid possible betrayal.
In the modern sense of the word, a number of political or social advisers from powerful families could earn the label of adviser. It is often suggested that the Bush family, whose members include two presidents and a governor, has an adviser, a veteran Republican politician named James Baker. Baker has held a series of political posts under both presidents named Bush, and in 2006 Baker headed a commission to evaluate the war in Iraq. Baker’s advice and professional advice for the Bush family fit the traditional role.
Other prominent politicians and public figures also depend on the services of an adviser, although they may be reluctant to call their advisers by that name. Political candidates often employ a person to walk them through the campaign process. An effective political adviser can prevent a candidate from making a tactical error or later assist in rotation control. Some politicians seek the opinion of an adviser from an opposing party to see how their proposals would be received by dissenting voters.
Prominent entertainers also use the services of a counselor to guide their careers. Successful actors might want a person to make objective decisions about which scripts to accept, for example. Agents and directors can have their own agendas, so it’s not unusual for in-demand entertainers to seek the advice of a trusted advisor before signing any engagement or contract.
However, as character Tom Hagen discovers in The Godfather series, an organized crime adviser’s career can come to an abrupt end. When Michael Corleone, the son of crime boss Vito Corleone, takes control of the family, he promptly fires Hagen. While Hagen may have been extremely loyal to the Corleone family, his abilities weren’t demonstrated in the heat of battle. Michael Corleone famously explains that Hagen was not a “wartime adviser.” The family needed a new counselor who understood the intricacies of the legal battles he was about to face.
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