Think and 'Do' Courage

I take a great deal of pride in the work I do for my clients as well as those contacts who aren’t. I have the strong belief that my role is to do what is right for the people and the business. Because of this I may tell people things they don’t want to hear. Some cases I have lost projects because of it. Yet in most situations that is what gets me hired. I tell leaders what they need to know. If I am not the right resource I refer them to the proper professionals that can help them out. While I am conscious of the client’s situation, I recommend the action they need to take and leave it up to the referral to see if they can help. After all, if someone has a cancer in their business, I do not want to be the one who didn’t warn them.

So, why am I saying this? Recently, I was disturbed with a conversation that took place with a service provider who was talking to me about referrals. To be clear, this was not a situation where i was asking him for referrals, but more of a discussion about the practice. He said he was often aware of needs that his clients had, but was reluctant to refer to outside professionals because of what they might think. He knows his clients have issues that could prove costly, yet he fails to act out of fear that they will balk at the idea or that they are unwilling to pay for outside help. The difference here is there is no perceived malpractice.

I do not say these things because I desire more regulations or outside intervention. I merely wish to bring up a point. As a professional, you owe it to your clients and colleagues to help them be successful. If relationships are built on a foundation of trust, I believe your clients and others in your professional circle will value what you have to say. If you are concerned about it you may need to do a gut check on how solid your relationship is. My clients are successful because they are told things they don’t want to hear, but NEED to hear. Because of this, many of these people are experiencing substantial growth when other businesses are struggling to make ends meet. They set goals and act deliberately while their competition worries and unfocused action. Many of my clients are building and expanding while others are shrinking. Ninety percent of my clients are through referrals. In other words, they came to me because someone had the courage to say there is help available.

Whether you are a banker, accountant, marketer or even a coach, your actions towards your clients speaks volumes about your values. That is why as professionals we build relationships of trust with other service providers. We may not be doctors, but we do need to hold ourselves to a higher standard. It is how we will grow and innovate. So go out and build those relationships, check backgrounds, research and build your circle of professionals. When you help a business grow, not only do you help that business, you help create jobs, and strengthen our economy. Not to mention you have strengthened a relationship that will pay you back many fold over time. Be courageous, build trust, and create growth.

Courage is about believing in something beyond your own needs and doing something about it. Very rarely is courage spoken about in organizations beyond some poorly defined misguided heroic notion that has more to do with aggressive competition and very little to do with nurturing people and creating a sustainable business model.

"And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." ~ Marianne Williamson

Turning up the courage can help you to:

Move into your future with inspired vision and upgraded mental models, knowing that there is nothing you cannot aim for and nothing that you need to regret. Manage your lows and create more highs; turn every failure into success and build on it further.

Discover your own unique way to make a difference and to make a living. Map out an inspiring future and create a dynamic 'plan for the road' designed on who you truly are, where your purpose lies, and on a realistic appraisal of the market.

Despite the prevalent fear in our changing society, be the person who transforms fear into courage by seeing the bigger context and the facts behind the emerging bigger picture. Turning up the courage provides orientation and advice on the order behind all the chaos.

Create powerful relationships that add extra value for you and others. Identify your allies and let go of extra ballast. Open your eyes to your own role in attracting the relationships that are in your life now. Negotiate assertively and authentically. Lose your fear of engaging with others in conflict. Resolve conflicts in an empowered way.