Getting a Do-over

One of the things that retired professionals do is get together and commiserate about the good old days. And the bad old days.

Because of my research into the reasons why some professionals seem to experience more joy and success than others, I often ask, “What would you have done differently if you could go back?” Invariably the answers are profound and perceptive.

The sad truth, however, is that we never get do-overs. The best we get is an opportunity to try again, hopefully with the wisdom and insight which come from the first less-than-optimum experience. A key to success in a profession, and for that matter in life, is to get things right the first time.

I’ve had my share of dumpster fires and often as not learned the best practices by trying everything else first. So with the wisdom born of hindsight, let me propose a handful of ways to ensure we get things right the first time:

1. Luck. Yes, luck. Once in a while we stumble onto the best way of doing things just at random. It’s nice, but not a reliable way to succeed.

2. Being mentored. Particularly for the younger professional, there is no substitute for having someone at your elbow who can at least tell you what didn’t work for them.

3. Patience. At least in my experience, the majority of my bad outcomes resulted from engaging before I had things fully ready.

4. Subject matter expertise. There is no substitute for knowing your stuff, and knowing it so well that you are masterful in the execution of your trade.

5. Practice, and more practice. The more you hone your skills before the big game, the more likely you are to look like the star you need to be.

6. Stop dabbling. Dabbling not only exposes you to risky matters where you are not skilled, but it detracts from your focus on the stuff where you are skilled. Every minute spent dabbling is a minute less of your life spent on the good stuff.

7. Manage your money. You can’t do excellent work when you’re panicking about cash flow or how you can afford to retire. Time spent on managing your affairs allows you to do your best client work without the distraction of money worries.

8. Get the best assistance, and get rid of mediocre staff. Good assistants will keep you out of trouble and help you do the stuff you do best. They will make you shine. Poor staff waste your time and get you into trouble.

9. Build, polish, and protect your reputation. At the end of the day the single most important thing to get you the most interesting and profitable work is your reputation.

10. Step away from the furnace from time to time, refresh yourself, spend time with those you love, travel a bit, lie on the grass and watch the stars. Not only will you come back to work with energy and wisdom, but surprisingly you will find that you will see new solutions to old problems.

11. Be coached. Perhaps the most important thing you can do to make sure you are your best and get things right the first time is to seek coaching. For professionals, this is usually best found from those who have already walked the road. Every dollar spent on coaching returns hundreds in extra revenue, but also reduces the worry of making expensive or embarrassing mistakes. More important, coaching is the best route to finding your place of joy and satisfaction.

Happy to talk.