To Serve? or
Just another notch in someone's belt?
I had a visit with 2 different practitioners.
The first one told me:
- “It's not that bad.”
- “You have done harder things.”
The man's office was old and dated
- He walked me through diagrams, used analogies and examples.
- He was trying hard to sell me on his service.
- Features and benefits.
At one point, I had to tell him to stop talking.
This experience reminds me of the background story of George Clooney’s career, which Ryan Holiday wrote about in his book, “The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph.”
George Clooney spent his first years in Hollywood getting rejected at auditions. He wanted the producers and directors to like him, but they didn’t and it hurt and he blamed the system for not seeing how good he was.
Everything changed for Clooney when he tried a new perspective. He realized that casting is an obstacle for producers, too— they need to find somebody, and they’re all hoping that the next person to walk in the room is the right somebody.
Auditions were a chance to solve their problem, not his.
From Clooney’s new perspective, he was that solution. He wasn’t going to be someone groveling for a shot. He was someone with something special to offer.
He was the answer to their prayers, not the other way around.
That was what he began projecting in his auditions— not exclusively his acting skills but that he was the man for the job. That he understood what the casting director and producers were looking for in a specific role and that he would deliver it in each and every situation, in preproduction, on camera, and during promotion.
My next experience with the 2nd practice was different.
- I first met with an associate.
- She asked me to tell her about my situation.
- She listened with a warm face and took notes.
- She looked me in the eye.
Then the founder met with me.
- She told me the truth.
- “It’s a 2-step process, but you will have a better long-term outcome,”
I told her I had already decided to go with her.
She was the woman for the job.
She was the solution to my problem, not hers.
The 1st practitioner I first met made me feel like I was another notch on his belt or put in business terms, just another transaction.
If you are a service professional and/or a parent,
It’s not about you. It’s about them - client and/or the child.
It’s about you being the right guide to be the answer to their problem.
Please reach out to me if your current advisor isn't listening to your problem.
These are challenging times right now, but we will get through them together.
Your Friendly Wealth Engagement Guide,
Tiffany Kent
Tiffany@wealthengagement.com
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