Dynamic Professional Practice

The Professional is an intelligent person who has completed education and training’s, and often has passed through certification processes. Attorneys, architects, engineers, coaches, account executives, court translators, doctors, nurses, accountants, and numerous other specialties are in the professional working class.

More often than not, the professional seriously lacks in the business skills of organization, record keeping, marketing and customer relations. To add to this matter, the professional considers themselves so educated that these seemingly mundane things are beneath their notice, a drudgery or totally invisible. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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