The Final Newsletter
Field Observations and Thank You
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take - Wayne Gretzky (and Michael Scott - Dunder Mifflen)
This will be the final newsletter from substack. I want to express gratitude for all of you being willing to subscribe to my “nickels worth” of observations doing performance consulting. I hope it has given you all different things to consider as you engage in your own careers. The move is necessary in order to give more time to the community of practice group that began a few months ago.
As I wrap up the newsletter, I wanted to leave you all with a few final observations:
Observation #1: Sell yourself, not the field.
When presenting yourself in the field, focus on presenting your philosophy and how you support your audiences. We are far too obsessed with showing “efficacy” in the science. I haven’t landed one contract from showcasing science. Present the efficacy behind your process and approaches to the work. Your clients don’t care about what the field has done as a whole, they are only interested in how you are helping them and the efficacy in your approach. Process + Relationships will really help elevate your work:
Observation #2: Build credibility in how you manage relationships
Once we are engaging with clients (especially teams), focus on the relationship first. There are plenty of opportunities to showcase knowledge and efficacy. But clients want to be heard out first. You can build tremendous credibility by being observant and attentive to client environments and just follow some basic rules:
Follow-up with what you say. If you are going to send out resources, then send them out. If you are going to check-in, then check-in. This shows a basic compassion and follow-through that really strengthens trust.
Build empathy. Listen to learn. Observe and ask questions.
Observation #3: Focus on sharpening your questioning skills.
You can learn and also teach a ton, just by how you ask questions. When working in applied environments, you can teach mental skills informally and in a less intimidating manner, just by asking questions about how they like to focus, how they are approaching drills, what their goals are for practices. It’s simple, focused and highly effective. And when needing to build empathy, asking questions that elicit meaning are critical: How are they “experiencing” the situation is paramount for removing assumptions.
Observations #4: Don’t take yourself so seriously
We are our own worst critics, the same way athletes are. Our clients feed off of our enthusiasm. Have fun with your work don’t take yourself so seriously. We have enough serious work to do and we will make plenty of mistakes. Be thoughtful in your process, but enjoy the work you do. Be compassionate, but have fun. It really helps with building relationships with leadership teams and athletes. And probably, the most simple summary to this observation: Just be yourself!
THE PATH AHEAD
I will leave substack open so you have access the articles that have been written, but this will be the final post. If any of you are interested in joining the community of practice group, below is the information to join the group with information for students and professionals. Thank you again for all of your support!
Professional development community/Community of Practice. Our community of practice group is run out of a platform, where we house S.I.G. training from either myself or other experienced professionals and our other various events. For all students who are in school, this is a free membership. For those working in the field, this will cost $6.99/month and comes with a 30 day free trial. Money goes to covering the platform and providing compensation to the professionals who are coming in and providing the training.
Below are the links:
Thank you again for tuning in over the last couple years!