Photo courtesy of Martin Fisch and Flickr
“It’s like that old saying, ‘Physician, heal thyself’.
You’ve got to find it for yourself first; then, you can give it away.”
Sydney Banks
This week I’m re-running an article I wrote last year because it relates directly to something I’m in the process of creating. This was originally released as part 5 in the series of articles on the 10 professional practice multipliers from the Exponential Practice Scorecard https://www.jamiesmart.com/scorecard/. Whether you’re a transformation professional or not, you’re going to discover that the scorecard’s 10 multipliers apply to almost everyone (at least, with a little creativity). This week, we’ll be looking at Multiplier Number 5 – Transformational Impact.
Multiplier Number Five: Transformational Impact
Once again, impact is what people pay you for. It’s your ability to help them create the results they desire and transformations they want to experience.
In the first column, you doubt your ability to have an impact. You avoid opportunities to practice and learn. Your friends encourage you, but don’t refer others. Here’s the thing. Almost everyone with an exponential practice started out here, stuck.
You develop your ability to have a transformational impact through insight and realization. In my experience, some of the best ways to create the conditions where insight and realization can happen is through learning, mentoring and practice. After all, they call it a practice because you’re practicing and learning. And you continue learning when you practice with real-life, paying clients.
In column two, you work with paying clients but have doubts about the impact you can have. You wish you had more skills and confidence in your abilities. I meet a lot of people who are active in therapy, coaching or some other transformational changework but genuinely doubt whether they can have the impact they want to have. Obviously, this makes it more difficult to sign up clients because the clients pick up on your insecurity. But, once again, you have reason to be hopeful.
In the third column, you deliver good results to the majority of your clients and often exceed their expectation. People regularly give good testimonials. In this column, business is good and you can deliver the goods (so to speak). However, one thing I often find when I talk to people who are in this column is they have the sense that there is a bigger transformation they could have with their clients.
This brings us to column four, the exponential domain. You deliver “dream come true” results and your client’s lives transform. People proactively refer their friends, family and colleagues to you. Can you see how impact results in referrals? People will only refer you to others when they’re blown away by the impact you’ve had with them.
The ultimate referral-motivator is when other people notice the impact you’ve had with your client and they ask, “What happened to you?” This is where transformational impact becomes an exponential multiplier on every level.
So how can you make progress and improve in this practice multiplier? Develop your embodied understanding and focus on facilitating the transformations and results your clients really value. Develop your understanding of your clients and what matters most to them. Then put your time, energy and resources into developing your ability to help them achieve those outcomes.
Philippe was already a coach specializing in helping people find their purpose when we started working with him on the Clarity Coach Training programme. One of the areas that shifted massively for him was his impact, which he described as more than he had ever imagined possible. He said something very telling, “I really know that I can transform people’s lives with this understanding.” And the reason that’s so telling is he knows it – really knows it. This has a big impact on his ability to engage clients. He also told me that he’s signing up clients at a level beyond anything he would have been able to do in the past, and this is because of his grounded certainty, his knowing about the transformational impact he can have.
Another example is certified Clarity Coach, Terri Broughton, who moved from being a head-teacher to being a coach and trainer. When we started working with her, Terri had doubts about the impact she could have but she’s experienced a huge transformation in her impact, with profound results. She ran her first retreat in Sri Lanka earlier this year and is seeing transformational results in her coaching clients. She’s not afraid to challenge or question her clients because she’s completely focused on serving them. She says, “There is something about speaking from your authentic self and making connections with the people around you that makes the difference.” When you have this kind of certainty in your ability to have a transformational impact, your clients can pick up on it so it creates a virtuous circle.
By the way, I’ve made a 90-second video for you about the two (often overlooked) reasons why the impact you have with your client is such an essential key for getting clients and how you can start increasing your impact right away. You can watch the video here https://www.jamiesmart.com/acs/
To your exponential practice!
Big love
Jamie
PS You can download your own “Exponential Practice Scorecard” to make progress on all 10 multipliers at https://www.jamiesmart.com/scorecard/