Time to LEVEL Up!
Russell Pearson CSP
Hall of Fame Inductee | Follow for Consulting Business Tips | Host of the Your Consulting Business Podcast – Supporting Topic Experts to Forge Successful Consulting Businesses.
You know I’m a geek, right?
I think you probably do know.
Not a Nerd though, definitely a GEEK…got to draw a line somewhere.
But today I’m going to take that impression to a whole other level.
…
Did you know I’m a Dungeon Master?
….
No, not that kind…
The dungeons and dragons kind.
In DnD, I’m a DM (Dungeon Master).
Basically, the guy who runs the game for the other Players.
Well now you know…my dirty little secret revealed!
The shock and horror…!
Anyway, last month I finished a campaign that we'd been running for over a year…
…I wrote the whole thing myself..heaps of fun...
…and you won’t guess what happened.
I learned stuff being a Dungeon Master in Dungeons and Dragons that I can now apply to business.
Russell finding an analogy in stuff...No surprise there!
But it really does seem like just about every time a learn ANYTHING in life, it applies DIRECTLY to business as well.
Anywho, there was a lesson that I needed to learn as a DM that has made me infinitely better as an advisor and consultant.
Ready for it?
It is this.
It’s NOT my story.
Even if I've created the campaign from scratch...it's NOT my story.
It’s the Players story.
And as a Dungeon Master...I'm NOT the Player.
All I can do is provide guidance on the journey.
YES, as an advisor, you can see the future (cause you’ve been there before).
AND YES, you can see what’s about to happen (cause you wrote the campaign).
But it’s the Player's job to make DECISIONS about WHAT they do.
If they want to kill the innocent guards at the haunted mine, well...it’s their choice.
If they want to try to run 7 businesses at once, well…that’s their choice too.
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They get to succeed or fail on the choices they make.
All we can do is provide opportunities to take good paths and trust they have learned from our lessons.
But WHY is that important?
The answer...OWNERSHIP!
If you make your clients' decisions for them, they can NEVER really own their outcomes.
For good or evil, a client needs to be able to LEARN from their mistakes and failures.
AND to be able to CELEBRATE their successes and accomplishments.
In the game, if you fix the outcome, Players feel cheated.
The same happens if clients don’t feel that they have a say.
They want to know that they have their hand on the reins and that EVERYTHING is not just fated. Not everything is just a roll of the dice.
If you do the hard stuff for clients, you steal their opportunity for experience.
You steal their moment to LEVEL UP…DING!!!
So if you’re an advisor, consultant, or ANYONE who works in TRANSFORMATION.
Remember, you’re not the Player, you’re the Dungeon Master.
You can create opportunities for guidance, and you can even show your client the paths to great victories, BUT ultimately it will be your client's role as the Player to make the final decisions.
Make decisions that allow them to write their OWN story.
By the way, where have you found this in your pastimes?
I’d love to know what lessons you learned in life that you now apply to business.
Let me know.
P.S. ?? Stay Passionate!
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BONUS...If you're looking for more Consistent Client Engagement, you may want to watch this session we recorded recently.
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Russell Pearson?is the founder of the FORGE. A Business Program for Solo Consultants, Advisors, and Specialist Service Providers who want Better Clients & Higher Fees.
You can contact him directly here:?https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/russell-pearson/?
Executive speaking & storytelling coach | Helping CXOs master the art of influence on the stage, screen & page | TEDx speaker | Ghostwriter | Author | NED / Board member
2 年Life lesson for business? When gardening... you can grow where you're planted if you have enough light, air, refreshment and nourishment. But anyone, or any plant, will shrivel and die if they're not cared for. If that's happening in your career, get out. Everyone deserves to flourish.