Will Baum is a true collaborator, and last week he spoke with me via email as part of a continuing series of practice consultant interviews. Read the Interview Here.
But this is not the end of his story. Will is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Los Angeles, CA with a passion for helping people in crisis and an interest in bettering the profession by sharing with others. His efforts have not gone unnoticed and have led to several partnership opportunities (like this one!) where colleagues are more than happy to promote his services.
Will has identified numerous ways to share his experiences and expertise with others. For example, he is a contributor to PsychologyToday.com and the Huffington Post where he writes about strategies for living happily in L.A.
I highly recommend you take a look at his online magazine focusing on building a private practice (www.wheretheclientis.com). You’ll find information and resources from a wide variety of professionals in the field.
In the late 1800’s, economist Vilfredo Pareto posited a law of income distribution that would later bear his name: Pareto’s Law. Today, in its more generalized form, the law states that 80% of the consequences stem from 20% of the causes. Research over the years has shown this law to be proven in almost any setting. Let’s take a closer look at a variation of the law as it applies to results and productivity.
80% of your positive results come from 20% of your time and effort.
Pareto’s law, as stated above, asks us to rethink how we spend our time to achieve whatever outcomes we define. Applying this principle can help you and I maximize our potential by eliminating inefficiency, multiplying our strengths and outsourcing activities that free us up to focus on those 20% activities that produce the best results.
It turns out that lifestyle redesign is a great business development tool and discipline!
Like you, I am faced with daily challenges that build into a never-ending to-do list. I have a slew of grandiose ideas and goals I am looking to accomplish but sometimes, I look ahead and there is simply no time to address them appropriately.
By eliminating “unnecessary” activities and choosing to outsource others I have improved my productivity immensely while reducing the amount of work I do in the process.
Which leads me to an interesting resource I believe can help you achieve your goals – Virtual Assistants.
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In 1990, a young man named Geoffrey Canada, returned home to Harlem on a mission. His goal – to “end the cycle of poverty in Harlem by transforming all aspects of children’s lives”. Most would say it was an unrealistic goal rooted in naivete and bravado. But Mr. Canada, a man who had defied all the odds since early childhood, continued undeterred by his doubters.
He began his work by joining a well respected non-profit organization that offered a variety of programs for children and their families. Canada felt it was not enough. It was too “safe” of an approach to bring about the kind of sweeping change he desired. He reasoned that he could not reach his goal by addressing only a few “problem areas” at a time. Canada’s vision was to create an all encompassing program that targeted all areas. His proposed solution led to the creation of the Harlem Children’s Zone project. The project initially identified a specific 24-block area in Harlem where Canada and his team would create unparalleled programming and support services to include educational, social and medical services. This web of services would create a safety net so tightly woven that children in the neighborhood could not slip through. Today, this program targets a 100-block area and is on track to serve over 10,000 children by 2011.
Canada’s initial goal for the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) Project was just as bold and brazen as the creation of the project itself. The HCZ project defined success when 100% of the children in their designated area attended college. 100%?! Defintely not realistic. His vision was so intrepid and so “out there” that few believed it could be accomplished.
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“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”
- Einstein
In the mid 1960’s, a lanky teenager named Dick Fosbury was working on his high jump technique with limited results. At that time, the “correct” method for high jumping was known as the straddle method. It’s an obvious technique whereby the jumper approaches the bar head on, kicks one foot up over the bar and then rolls over the bar face down. Fosbury tried and tried to perfect this technique but in the eyes of the high jumping world, he was a below average performer.
That is until Fosbury began wondering if there were other alternatives. He questioned the validity of the straddle jump, and started experimenting with a new approach he thought might be better. Why not use the laws of physics to one’s advantage and approach the bar backwards, twisting the hips in the process so that gravity would do the work for him? His new technique looked ridiculous to most but produced immediate results. Was it against the rules? Most people never even entertained the idea of a different technique simply because they assumed it must be. But Fosbury never assumed.
His performances caught the attention of college recruiters, and in 1965 the head coach for Oregon State decided to offer Fosbury a scholarship with a caveat. Although he jumped a personal best 6’7” to win the national juniors using his new method, the coach informed Fosbury he would need to stop experimenting with his new technique if he was to earn a spot on the roster. Maintaining the status quo was and still is a powerful force. Oregon State’s track and field coach wanted to end the nonsense and transform Fosbury into a “real high jumper – a straddler”.
The Straddle Method
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My guess is that many, if not all of you, are up to your knees planning, entertaining…shopping. You don’t have much time for reading or reflecting this time of year. But when you do find a moment, take a look at some of these resources. I’ve found them to be inspiring, energizing, thought provoking, and career changing.
And if you know of others please share them with us!
Thought Provoking Videos
TED.com is a fantastic resource. It is filled with excellent free videos and audio clips you can view from your computer or download to your MP3 player. This is the second year in a row I have asked for a trip to one of the TED conferences. Unfortunately, I don’t think Santa is listening.
Video 1: Standing Out in the Marketplace
Video 2: The Power of Community Building
Seth Godin is one of my favorite speakers. He has a remarkable ability to offer fresh ideas that can be easily applied to any business. The videos above are both worth a look.
Video 3: The Importance of Flow
Interesting talk on creativity and flow from psychology professor and author Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi.
Video 4: The Power of Social Media
Alexis Ohanian is the co-founder of Reddit, a social-voting news website. He gives a humorous talk about the power and reach of social media.
I’m a big advocate of new marketing models that cost little and yield big returns, but I am not naive. Sometimes you need to invest more than you think to get to where you want to be. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to spend more money (although in some cases it might). It could mean becoming more efficient in order to free up your time to do work that will grow your business, or choosing to spend more time on professional development in anticipation of future rewards.
I’ve spent a full year or so talking about “new marketing” concepts, resources and ideas. However, if we are to fully explore sales and marketing within our profession it’s good practice to view these concepts from all angles. Let’s balance things out a bit and take a look at some investment principles from “the other side” that can pay off big for you.
Challenging the “This for That” Model
“An honest days wages for an honest days work.”
We’ve all heard this statement at some point, and it’s worth noting here because in many respects, it is misleading and limiting. What I am referring to when I analyze the quote above is a traditional one to one business model. The problem with this approach is that people tend to reach the limits of their earning potential quickly. There are only so many hours in the day and there is just so much that the market will bear for your services. I see a lot of private practitioners struggle as they try and grow their practices under this framework. It can be a difficult proposition.
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