Clarity, challenge & growth: my quarterly reset with Rachel Turner

Yesterday, my quarterly face-to-face half day meeting with my Business Coach Rachel Turner.

During my train journey down to Euston, I took the opportunity to create a discussion document which contain two very simple headings:

1. Challenges I'm facing at the moment.

2. Blessings I enjoy at the moment.

   
   

In many ways, this was a miniature SWOT analysis of exactly where I am right now and formed the backbone of a three hour conversation.

The blessings, rather like yesterday's blog post on the subject of avoiding media negativity, are a reminder that any conversation I wanted to have about tolerations, roadblocks or obstacles should be balanced by a consideration of just how lucky I am.

That done, the challenges are a dose of reality in accepting the fact that there are situations, things and people I am tolerating at any given point in time.

No big surprise that the first decision was to either move away from or remove tolerations.

Secondly, to drive around the roadblocks.

Third, to remove obstacles.

The benefit of working with a world-class Business Coach is that you are also reminded of just how good you are at what you do, (stop comparing your inside with other people's outside) before the tough love follows on what to do to achieve those marginal gains that you are searching for.

I've had my quarterly reset and I'm now ready to go back out there into the world and evolve a little further – watch out Philippa Goodwin and Rachel Barrow, watch out world!

Last night, a working dinner with my old friend Gary Chapman (and others), talking in great detail about Portman's approach to "partnering" with selected practices - I am going to admit to a certain scepticism before the conversation, but as we progressed, I became more and more interested in this "JV" approach - one that gives the current Owner some equity release but then a funding partner with whom to grow, and enjoy the fruits of that future labour.

Today, I will be working with a group of 20+ Mentees who are being guided on their career pathway by Dr Manrina Rhode.

My task is to present a full day workshop on personal and professional marketing - the room will primarily be made up of clinicians who don't yet own a business but may well aspire too.

Even for those who are comfortable with life as a career hygienist/therapist/associate, I'll be talking about the internal, inbound and external marketing activities that will raise their profile.

I'm really looking forward to the day and have absolutely no doubt that there will be laughs along the way as well as some serious business.

Said Mentees will probably never know how lucky they are to catch me on the day after my meeting with Rachel Turner - I'm feeling quite good about myself.