|
|
Make It Real April 2009
News and Views from Clarity to Business, LLC
Discover what you love. Build your business. Prosper. | |
|
|
|
Greetings!
It looks like the economy may be bottoming out. I see signs of hope everywhere, from the stock market to reports from my clients.
I hope you're experiencing a turnaround in your life as well. It's the season for it.
Happy Spring, everyone.
Love,
|
|
Telling the Truth
 I have a friend with a heart problem (the physical kind). She needs to have a procedure done to fix it, but has not been willing to do it.
The procedure will be accompanied by pain, a stay in the hospital, anesthesia, and the small-but-always-present risk of death. The risk of death is higher if my friend doesn't get the procedure done, but it's hard to remember this when you're not dead right now, and you're contemplating the hospital stay, pain, lack of sleep, bleeding, and the other uncomfortable aspects of this process.
My friend's cardiologist has told her for the past year that she needs to have this procedure done. This doctor is kind, gentle, knowledgeable and trustworthy.
Yesterday, I witnessed a different cardiologist tell my friend the same thing. This cardiologist was abrupt and harsh. When my friend started to argue with him, the doctor held up his hand and said, "I don't want to hear it. My job is to tell you the risks. I don't take it personally if you won't take my advice. I just want you to know the facts."
At first I thought, "what a jerk." But then I thought about my friend's heart and what's best for her. The second cardiologist (like the first), had my friend's welfare and the truth of the situation uppermost in his mind. He might have presented the truth more kindly, but to him, the information trumped the delivery. And the other interesting thing about this situation is that the second cardiologist and his abrasive delivery may have actually gotten my friend to take action.
The Puppet got me thinking. Where am I mincing words? Am I doing this with any of my clients? Would a truthful conversation with someone, without worrying what they thought of me as I delivered the message, help the person, or the business, immeasurably?
Now it's your turn. Is there a conversation you need to have? Does one of your clients need to take an action (or even buy something from you) that is in her best interest, but she is resisting? The key is having the person's welfare as my top priority, without being attached to the outcome. My job is to deliver the message, and let go of whether the person hears, or heeds it. I'm not naturally abrasive, but I think I could be more forthright sometimes. How about you?
|
TIP
 Go somewhere quiet (or noisy, as long as you're alone) and think about the people in your business or personal life.
Is there a conversation that needs to happen--that you've been procrastinating because you're afraid? What would it take to set aside your fear and have the conversation?
I'm offering 30 minutes of FREE coaching to the first person who does this and emails me.
| |
It's been a turbulent year and a half in the world of
investing. One of my clients, Maria Robinson, an investment advisor with GBS Financial, has helped her clients weather storms like these since she graduated from Harvard Business school over thirty years ago. She works with her clients to provide reassurance, clarity, and reasoned investments in difficult times.
Maria is offering a 30-minute complementary consultation to the readers of this newsletter. Contact her at 415-435-6373 or send her an email at mrobinson@gbsfinancial.com to set up an appointment.
If you're wondering if your savings are invested in the right places, if the track you're on is the right one for you, or if you'd just like a second opinion from an experienced professional, Maria can help.
| |
|
