Issue 119: Are you so involved in details you can't see the bigger picture?
“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur.”
The Beach Ball Challenge has become a favorite collaboration exercise.
Let's kick off a few questions in this last piece of the Circle of Influence six-part series.
Have you ever made a decision, and halfway through the process, you realized you made a mistake?
Have you ever felt you needed to take the next step and hire someone because you couldn't see the forest for the trees?
I give a double "yes.”
A recent impromptu coffee conversation was like a road trip starting in PA, then traveling to CA, then to Canada without any directions, and we want to end in TX. That's what the series of questions felt like. We were zig-zagging without any clear destination. She didn't know what she needed or where she was going. She was making call after call to get free advice.
I get it. I've been there. Not asking for free advice. I was traveling without directions to my destination.
About seven years ago, I segued my business from coaching to training and speaking. (Yes, I still maintain a few private coaching clients.) I knew I needed direction, so I hired a business coach who came highly recommended by a well-respected colleague who worked with him. The business coach offered a plethora of ideas for new programs and marketing. He was an idea generator.
That was my mistake—so was I. I didn't know what I needed and had the same problem as the impromptu coffee conversation woman. Partway through the coaching contract, I realized what I needed—it was systems. I had plenty of ideas as an idea generator.
Was the program wasted? Not at all. Once I realized what I needed, we changed directions to streamline what I had in place and to incorporate software, such as Zoom, to expand my offerings. The best part is that I was a pro at Zoom before the pandemic hit. My coach was a tech guru.
Before hiring a coach or consultant, I now outline my business needs and share the desired outcomes. So, consider a coach or consultant to take your professional development to the next level in this last part of who you need in your Circle of Influence.
Bounce-Up™ Momentum Builder
These questions can help you make the right decision.
What is a recurring personal or professional challenge you have? Recurring issues show a gap.
Where do you want to be in a year or two from now? Look upstream. Incorporating Zoom in 2016 allowed me to expand my efforts and energies at the time and gave me the edge during the pandemic.
What is an outcome you have tried to achieve and haven't hit? Sometimes, we can't see the roadblocks.
Mj Happenings
Continuing the five-location contract for How to Pivot, Thrive, and Bounce-Up, I spent a few days in my hometown sister state, Ohio. Here's one of the testimonials. "This was the best training I've ever attended, and I've been working for thirty-plus years! It was fun, interactive, and I have strategies I can use immediately." - Suzanne D.
Until next time, here's to creating a Bounce-Up™ life!
Mj
