Sounds like one-sided advice from the point of view of the advisor. Fact is, the advisor-grad student relationship is two way, and the advisor, being the experi

Sounds like one-sided advice from the point of view of the advisor. Fact is, the advisor-grad student relationship is two way, and the advisor, being the experienced scientist who plays the guiding role, is much more crucial to the success of the PhD than the student. When a PhD student meanders about for 8 years, it is likely that the advisor does not know "how to get things done" as much as the student.