How do you make sure you are as fulfilled at work as you are in your personal life?
Subscribe to the podcast here
Today we are talking about the number one ingredient you need for a business that you love: healthy client relationships.
We spend a lot of time working, so naturally if you want a fulfilled life you want to make sure that your career self is equally on fire for what you do at work as it is for the things you do outside of business hours.
“Work should never be a dreaded thing; you have full control!”
The greatest shift I have seen in my lifetime is the shift from having to work to wanting to work. The opportunities we have to be an entrepreneur have never been better.
If you are interested in learning more about the Director of Operations certification program, check out our application before it closes on February 13th!
What Makes a Healthy Relationship
If you are thriving in business, I am positive you will be surrounded by people, brands, and missions that you love and are aligned with. It is important for you to have this to be in your element and to be your next best self.
What does a healthy business client relationship look like?
Must Have: Trust
Where there is trust, you will be your fullest expression of your next best self. You will have open communication, and the ability to communicate with candor.
Candor with kindness allows you to have a 2-way relationship in which you can manage up, and be managed. Open communication is essential, and so is the ability to fully express yourself.
Must Have: Respect
When someone respects you, they value the gifts you are bringing to their business. You want to be heard. You know you have strong gifts that you have already identified, so for you to be heard, there needs to be respect
As a service provider you will be giving high level strategy, and you want to have a seat at the table, and respect is essential.
Must Have: Stability
Stability brings us safety and security. The client needs to be stable and secure, which means they are in a stable financial position.
“[The clients] have to be in a financial position to need you, to want you, and to pay for you.”
Look for clients who have the right mindset, the right financial position, and have stability in their personal lives.
As high level operators we need the ability to be strategic, to lead, to prioritize, to manage tasks, processes and people. All of that requires us to be in a very stable environment, meaning we need to have healthy relationships all around us.
“When we put ourselves in a situation where we are not surrounded by healthy relationships we cannot be in a growth mindset.”
How do we make healthy relationships happen?
- Make sure you have nailed down your values and your mission.
Once you have this in place you can do the homework, and figure out what your potential clients values and mission are. If you don’t see it on their website and social media, then have the direct conversation with them.
“You need to know their values, because what you are ultimately looking for is an overlap.”
Do you have an appreciation for each other’s values? That will put you in a safe place to have a thriving relationship.
2. Have a work date.
This is Phase One of working together. If you have a gut feeling that someone is going to be a good fit, but you don’t have a lot of background on them, you can do a “work date”.
Enter into a 30, 60, or 90 day agreement with them for Phase One of work. You will still come in and perform the same duties, but this puts you in the safest position to say yes or no. It also gives you a time bound commitment.
Leaders usually really appreciate this because they feel like they are being good stewards of their money and the position in their business.
In this introductory phase of work, make sure you take the time to manage up, and allow them to manage down to you.
This person may have never had a strategic partner before, so you need to be bold in this period and see how they respond.
Do you feel like you will thrive under this leadership?
We spend so much time with our clients and at work. I want work to be fun for you, and you want to work with clients who are thrilled to have you on their team.
Unhealthy relationships
The flip side of all of this is the unhealthy client relationship, and we have all been there. Think about the client who has frustrated you the most. They have sucked the joy out of work and made you question if you should be doing this work. That is the opposite of who you should be working with.
These unhealthy relationships will inevitably lead to scope creep and you will not be valued. Make sure you have the foundation of a healthy client relationship, or you will never be in a safe place to become your next best self!
“Healthy client relationships have allowed me to change my game, and to uplevel into new heights.”
Weekly Ops Activity
Describe a healthy work relationship that you’ve had and what you desire in a healthy client relationship. Let us know in the Facebook group!
Stay Connected:
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app.
Join the Ops Insiders Facebook Community:
Other Ways to Connect with Me:
Private Facebook Community
Facebook Page
Instagram
Share with your biz bestie