Client Stories: Entrepreneur Coaching
Going Out On Your Own (Becoming a Consultant)
William was an established cardiovascular surgeon/physician executive who chose to leave his Pacific Northwest practice to retool at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government earning a Master's of Public Administration.
By nature a man of vision, he lived in the world of possibilities, always one step ahead of most other people and institutions, able to see what could be done for the first time or what new combinations were waiting to be tried. Because this came naturally to him, William simply couldn't understand that others didn't automatically think the same way.
Committed to improving patient care and health care delivery, William met indefatigably with health care leaders around the country. Often, they were in the same box they'd operated out of for years, desperate for a next step in a system that had long since stopped working. William had the ideas they needed, but not the best technique for getting them heard.
Coaches often talk about uncovering "what we don't know we don't know" and William was a perfect example. Wired to jump in and tell people what he knew and what they needed to do, he expected them to receive his news with an open mind and wild enthusiasm. When their reception didn't meet his expectations. William was understandably frustrated. After all, his mission was to save the health care field!
William's new consulting and speaking business began with two major challenges: relocating to a new city while also promoting a radically new approach to health care. He was going to need to network and enroll people. Therefore, his people skills were the ones we focused on first. Goal One for our coaching included improving the effectiveness of his meetings with individuals and establishing some baseline income from speaking, writing, and consulting. After that, we could move to Goal Two: building financial stability.
Fortunately, William was both bright and extremely open to finding what would work. He saw that what he didn't know was hindering him. Through coaching, he learned to temper his enthusiasm enough to listen to others first, then invite them to join him as he communicated his visionary scenarios or solutions.
Once William could stop long enough to learn more about his clients' hopes, dreams, and concerns, he was able to bring solid value, to his clients and serve his idealistic mission as well.
Working with Wynne, I got encouragement, reinforcement, business reminders, and advice. Our work allowed me to preview my next steps as I met with people in my transition as a consultant and speaker. As I went out to communicate my ideas or look for working partnerships, I learned to be more sensitive to the feelings of the person I'd be talking to. I learned that even though I may be good-hearted, I might not pick up on those messages despite my desire to do so. I came to see that my capabilities are my disabilities: I may be good at looking into the future, but sometimes I miss what's right in front of me.
Making contacts was a necessary step for me to build my new consulting and speaking business, and this new awareness clearly enabled my ability to network. In summary, with Wynne as my coach, I got more contacts, more flexibility, more opportunity, and more likelihood of establishing relationships.
—Consultant, Lecturer, Author