The Client Letter
June 4, 2013
The Northland
Tut, Tut, Looks Like Rain 45 Degrees
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“Yes Mr. Client sir, coming sir, right away sir.”
That’s excellent service isn’t it? When your client wants/needs something, you’re right there, ready and willing to do it?
I guess it’s good service. But that’s only if, by service, you mean slavery.
My single biggest source of frustration with clients over the years is because I assumed the role of slave (in my mind) rather than the role of a partner in service of my client.
It wasn’t my client’s fault. It was mine.
I was looking for something from them that I wasn’t able to give myself (validation and approval). And because of that, I forgot why I was there (to help them reach a goal).
This is a recipe for misery.
In your chosen area of expertise, you must assume the role of the leader in the relationship. If you don’t who will?
Being a leader often means you make the hard decisions. That might mean doing work that doesn’t please your client but actually does serve your client.
You have to be OK with that. Sometimes leaders get a party… sometimes leaders get beheaded. Both options come with the territory when you’re out in front.
How do you reset your brain to think and feel LESS like the slave and more like the leader?
The most effective way I’ve found is to realize, once and for all, that YOU ARE ENOUGH right now. Don’t just gloss over that sentence… really FEEL it. There is no better feeling in the world than being WHOLE. (We’ve all been trained to feel otherwise, so if you need a reminder every month, use this.)
Stop trying to get something from anyone, feel whole NOW, and then move forward.
Today seems like a good day to start, no?