Solo Professional Service Providers: What Business Are You In?
October 14, 2008 by Mary Wynne-Wynter · Leave a Comment
We’re in a financial crisis and possibly an economic downturn which means there’s even more advice being given, targeting independent professionals, than in more stable times. Most of it’s marketing related: being seen and heard, getting blog traffic and comments, building links, viral methods, etc. Its easy to get swept up in the speed, urgency and sheer volume of what you “should” do to succeed .
I suggest checking in with yourself and going the other way: slow down, be still and narrow your focus.
Early in 2008 I was deeply moved reading Suzanne Pleshette’s obituary and her philosophy about the entertainment industry and I blogged about it back then. I believe her philosophy is even more significant now:
“I’m an actress, and that’s why I’m still here,” she said in a 1999 interview. “Anybody who has the illusion that you can have a career as long as I have and be a star is kidding themselves.”
I believe that much of the great advice out there is for those who aim for stardom and not for actors. Solo psf’s are actors (although some are both). Know the business you’re in. You see, clients don’t care about stars. Clients are the most selfish species on the planet and they only care about themselves and what you’ll do for them. And rightfully so - its what they pay for and trust in! If you identify with the business of being a star, clients will quickly pick up on the vibe that its about you first, not them.
I’m not saying to ignore or discount great advice and information but rather that you filter it through a solo professional firm’s lens and follow and adopt it from a “client first” perspective. Remind yourself daily about the business that you’re in and commit to it for the long term.
When things backfire.
June 30, 2008 by Mary Wynne-Wynter · Leave a Comment
I want to illustrate with a more specific example, particularly for solo professional creative practitioners, of when the old default response can kick in. Its one thing to theoretically talk about raising emotional intelligence and empathy. Its quite another when you’re getting attacked and you never saw it coming. It happens; you turn in something good, maybe even your best work, but your boss, or client or professor or whoever unexpectedly reacts very negatively and lashes out at you.
When that happens, in a real-world professional situation, can you prevent yourself from getting “hooked” and responding by running away, judging and criticizing, lashing back, getting your allies involved, going for the win, and re-living (and embellishing) the memory over and over in your thoughts?
Yes, you can respond differently, with practice. And to practice means staying present with your feelings and using whatever techniques you’ve learned that will prevent you from getting hooked. And if you totally, or partially fail, you resolve to keep practicing and being alert and vigilant to your default and automatic egoic responses to people and situations that backfire on you. Because without them, there’s no test, no real-world practice, no awakening to your own blind spots and consequently less self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
Don’t confuse your resolve with thinking you’re becoming a pushover because great strength, power and natural influence accumulate and suffering diminishes when you practice self-awareness and self-management in unpleasant situations and with unpleasant people. Like failure, they’re your best teachers, so be grateful for them even though you dislike them. Its good practice.
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creative process, empathy, natural influence, self-awareness, solo professional service firm
A simple, inexpensive creativity support system
May 29, 2008 by Mary Wynne-Wynter · Comments Off
For quite some time I’ve been diligent about always having index cards and 4 x 6 yellow pads on hand to take notes on new business ideas, my self-awareness and personal development, my insights, ideas, observances, and experiences, etc. Its all in long-hand writing; digital doesn’t cut it for me when I’m writing from the heart. I’ve found writing these pages an extremely valuable practice supporting my creativity and growth.
However, I never labeled, titled or dated these pages, and when I filled a notebook I just stuck it in a basket where they accumulated. I sometimes reviewed what I wrote but usually found it to be too much trouble to find what I was looking for. I hate paper, files and clutter and love simplicity and minimalism. So I felt pretty good about the fact that I was actually saving the notebooks instead of getting rid of them.
But then I read a wonderful book, “The Creative Habit, Learn It and Use It For Life”, by Twyla Tharp. She wrote about the importance not only of taking notes, but of organizing, categorizing and saving them. Her system is to start “a box” for each choreographic project that provides a comprehensive archive of ideas, video, photos, music, inspiration, learning, design - and all the myriad elements that comprise her dance creations. Its a system she finds indispensable to her craft and she highly recommends it to anyone committed to creativity.
I consistently do creativity exercises, for myself, and with my clients. But when it comes to process and practical habits development, I tend to gloss over it. It always felt too much like office work and not enough like being creative.
But Ms Tharpe writes so compellingly and persuasively about the critical importance of “the box” to creative development that I decided to follow my strong impulse to try it out. Before I began, I made a few decisions about how I should approach “my box” so that it would be enjoyable, applicable to my specific needs and not a dreary task. To that end:
- It would be more generalized rather than project specific.
- It had to be simple, made from stuff that I had on hand, with no trip to office supply store required.
- It had to be done on the porch, in the sun, away from computers, phones and any other electronics distractions.
So the photo below is the result of three surprisingly enjoyable hours spent putting together my “box”. And I expect that my investment in practicing the creative habit will pay off in many unexpected ways over time.
The materials:
- old plastic file storage box
- old metal 5-section file holder that fit in box
- large clips
My box categories:
- Content and community
- Self-awareness and personal growth
- Dreams and imagination
- New skills and abilities
- Creativity
Tasks:
- Tear pages from notebooks and clip them together in categories
- Label categories in “my box” and file pages
- Enjoy the sense of satisfaction and completion
I highly recommend that anyone interested in creativity and personal and professional enrichment make their own version of “the box”. So many ideas are wasted because they’re not converted to content that can be shared, reviewed, embodied or somehow brought to life because they’ve not been made tangible. This has been my experience and I see it happen repeatedly with both individual and business clients.
So my request of you is to value all of it and use this system. Its simple, its enjoyable and its a great beginning to your lifelong creative habit.
Heck, maybe there’s a “creativity box” photo contest opportunity here? Gotta run..need to get the idea written down and into my box!
Default response
May 22, 2008 by Mary Wynne-Wynter · Leave a Comment
I recently posted about how changing beliefs is an easier response than trying to change external conditions over which we have little or no control. There’s a lot of mass-marketed self-help, new-age type advice and even coaching schools of thought that make light of unwanted beliefs that drive our experience in the wrong way, and that tell us to simply will and affirm these pesky “gremlins” away.
But anyone wanting a greater life experience through awareness has been challenged to change what I call the default response to change triggers. You can be in the midst of performing a mundane activity and suddenly realize that you’ve been mentally dress-rehearsing an unwanted scenario for the past 10 minutes and you wonder “where did that come from?”. Or you immediately regret something you said or did and can’t even imagine what possessed you, although it has a kernel of familiarity.
But just like we can re-boot, re-program and de-bug our computer operating systems, we can do the same with our infinitely complex neurology and neurochemistry by identifying the old instructions and replacing them. And we have the advantage of having feelings that will point us to these operating system beliefs, or “code” because they’re well hidden and were chosen by us, either consciously or unconsciously, as fail-safes.
There’s no one-size fits all formula for how feelings, default responses and beliefs track together and keep us stuck in a cycle. But I do often get asked to provide examples; so I’ve charted some that I’ve seen come up in myself and in others and that I know, once identified, can be cleared and followed by transformation and surprising positive results for both individuals and organizations. Its not a matter of will, but of choice.
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creative process, self-awareness, solo professional service firm