Photo courtesy of Dinah Babelz and Flickr
“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”
Winston Churchill
Welcome to part 6 in the series of articles on the 10 professional practice multipliers from the Exponential Practice Scorecard https://www.jamiesmart.com/scorecard/. Each week I’ll be explaining them and looking at how you can leverage them to grow your practice, and here’s the thing: Whether you’re a transformation professional or not, you’re going to discover that these 10 multipliers apply to almost everyone (at least, with a little creativity). This week, we’ll be looking at Multiplier Number 6 – Results Creator.
A big part of impact is your ability to create results and this is true from the micro to the macro level. At the micro level, your innate capacity to create gives rise to the questions you ask your clients or the metaphors and other ideas that come to mind as you speak with them. At a higher level, it’s behind your ability to create things such as products, packages, articles and videos. At an even higher level, it’s behind your ability to create a client, to create a tribe of followers, to create your exponential practice and to create a life you love.
In the first column (the “stuck” column), you procrastinate and struggle to get started. You get inspired but then talk yourself out of taking action and run out of steam. This is the result of contaminated thinking but as usual, you have reason to be hopeful. You see, the flashes of inspiration are there to point you in the right direction. The fact that you have them means you’re connected to the source of creativity that exists within everyone.
In column two, you take action and have already made some progress but find it difficult to get traction and momentum. This is because people often expect to be inspired all the time however experience shows that’s not a realistic expectation. Your feelings ebb and flow as your thinking ebbs and flows, so expecting to be inspired all the time is like expecting it to be sunny all the time. Part of being a results creator is being able to take action and create results, even when you don’t feel like it.
In column three, you have found the keys to grow your practice and are working that model to get the most from it. Your practice is increasing steadily. This is what success looks like to most transformation professionals and it’s usually the results of single-minded focus and determination. While focus and determination are incredibly useful qualities, there is a level beyond this.
At the exponential level in column four, you create exponential results via content, processes, systems, wealth and transformation to serve clients, team, suppliers and your community. Now, you’re probably starting to see how this ties in with authentic leadership and some of the other practice multipliers. They all work together to create a force multiplier, and this is the basis for creating truly exponential results.
The key to making progress in this practice multiplier is to develop your creative process and the simplest way to do this is by using the CLARITY® Results Model. It’s very simple: Clarity + Action = Results, and you can remember it using the acronym “CAR”.
Here’s the idea; whatever you’re inspired to create, take the next step. While it’s often hard to think ten steps ahead, you can always get clarity on the next step, however small it may be. As you keep taking the next step, you learn and get further clarity on the steps that follow. You see, there are things you will discover by taking action that you can never figure out in the privacy of your own head. Once again, remember “CAR”: Clarity + Action = Results.
Building on the “car” metaphor, novelist E. L. Doctorow once said, “Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights but you can make the whole trip that way.” There are three powerful things implied by this simple quote. Number one, Destination: You have a sense of your destination that’s good enough that once you get there you’ll know you’ve arrived. Number two, Power: You have a power-source as a means of moving forward. In your case, the power-source is your own innate creative capacity. Number three, Navigation: You can respond to the ever changing environment and make adjustments where necessary.
A great example of this is Marcus Fernandez. Marcus was already a very skilled transformation professional. He’s a homeopath and runs a college in London with branches overseas. Working with Marcus we helped him expand his capacity to deal with the huge number of issues and challenges that come with running a large organization, without getting overwhelmed. He said, it gave him “clarity of decision-making, clarity of strategy, and clarity in situations that need immediate attention” That’s a great description of the ability to create results.
Another example is Clarity Coach, Marina Pearson. When we first started working with Marina she struggled to get clients. We worked on her grounding and her impact, and helped her develop her capacity as a results creator. In the next six months she delivered a TED talk, moved to her dream home, became pregnant after trying for years, created workshops that are filling with ease and started signing up high end coaching clients for the first time while enjoying the process. She says, “Best of all, it’s happened effortlessly, without me even noticing. Without the kind of stress and effort I’d always thought it would take. I’ve finally been able to stop searching and start living the life of my dreams!” And here’s an important point; it’s not that Marina hasn’t worked hard; she has. But she’s been able to create these results because she’s had so much less of the contaminated thinking that held her back in the past.
“Results Creator” is one of the areas we work on during Project Glasswing (aka Coaching Package Power). The next instalment of Project Glasswing is due to kick off next month. If you’d like to be considered for the latest intake of the pilot programme, I’m looking for 36 very specific people:
– You are a coach, therapist or change-worker (Eg. Sports coach, psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, business coach, bodyworker etc)
– You have at least one year’s experience of working with clients (either paid, pro-bono or both)
– You probably charge by the hour, but want to use a “coaching package” model and increase your income
– You have room to work with at least one longer term contract client, starting in November
– You’re an enthusiastic, friendly people-person
– You have a coachable spirit, and are willing to step out of your comfort zone if necessary, and
– You can keep a secret
If that’s you, then email me at info@jamiesmart.com, and let me know where you’re located and a little about yourself (if you don’t know what to tell me about, look at the list above for inspiration). Change the subject line to “Project Glasswing JST”. I’ll be choosing people in the next couple of weeks. Talk to you soon!
To your increasing clarity
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/