DYNAMIC
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
You are a Professional, an intelligent, knowledgeable person providing
services that enhance personal, career and business development. Attorneys,
architects, administraters, engineers, consultants, executives, scientists,
technicians, doctors, nurses, accountants, and numerous specialties are
in the professional creative class.
More often than not, the professional is lax in business organization,
record keeping, marketing and customer relations. Experience is a poor teacher
in this area, the lesson usually being Hobbes 'hell is the truth seen too
late.' The coaching challenge is in the professional realizing and acting
from an entrepreneurial spirit; creating a support system that keeps the
mind alive.
The best place to start with a professional is where they're at; in their
profession, as business managers and their awareness of life balance. This
assessment covers successes, breakthroughs, breakdowns and what can best
be described as the professional's personal style. The raw measurement is
in the revenues generated in past months.
The Power of Incasting
An exercise I lead professionals through is reverse incasting.
A historical eye is cast on past years of work and the milestones that led
to the current situation are identified. A market analysis of sources of revenues
is laid out along with reviews of work satisfaction from different assignments.
In the process of assembling this information, a series of
epiphanies occurs for the professional; the level of service provided clients,
the changing challenges of work assignments received, the degree of passion
for the work, and the satisfaction and acknowledgment, beyond being paid,
the professional embraces.
Now the coaching work begins.
One hundred key factors to building and maintaining a full,
rewarding and profitable professional practice, grouped in ten categories
are worked during the span of the coaching partnership:
Strong Client Relationship
Service, Value, Excellence
A Cost-free Practice
Referral Generation
High Productivity
Practice Management
Empowered Clients
Personal Balance Accounting and Profitability
Internet and Technology Savvy
Typically, the early assessments identified that many of the
one hundred key factors are already in place. Reviews and upgrades raise the
level of the professional's effectiveness and awareness almost immediately.
Of the remaining, sets of three factors are identified and worked by the professional.
Never Slow Down
The professional is active and engaged in their revenue generating
work throughout this process. They don't slow down. Instead, they realize
new satisfactions, efficiencies and welcome new challenges.
Over time - 6 to 9 months - The momentum of upgrades and strength-building
graduates the professional to a level of attainments where, if they chose,
they can work on bigger projects with the coach. Often the arrangement is
changed to half-time and the coach continues to support the professional in
service excellence and life satisfaction. Other times, they agree that the
work is complete and move on.
Are You Ready to Build
a Sustaining Professional Practice?
Describing Your Challenges
is the Beginning
