A while back, I received a parenting email from Love and Logic (great resource for you parents out there) and tucked it into my “WIC blog post” folder as a potential topic. I was struck by how the parenting tips from their Keeping Cool When Parenting Heats Up were so apropos to consulting. And so I thought I’d share them with you.
“Avoid giving repeated warnings and reminders. The more we put up with bad behavior, the more likely we’ll come across as angry and frustrated when we finally provide a consequence.” Enough said. 🙂
“Give yourself permission to say, ‘I’m too angry to think right now. We’ll talk about this later when I’m calm.’” Okay, so maybe not those exact words, but giving yourself permission to tell a client you need a day to think through the situation is perfectly okay.
“Memorize just one empathetic statement, such as ‘What a bummer,’ ‘How sad,’ or ‘Oh…that’s never good.’” Again, maybe not those exact words, but the point is to show (and have) empathy for your client and their situation. It doesn’t mean you have let them do whatever they want. It’s simply a tip for remaining calm and staying focused on the issue vs. the emotions—for both you and the client.
“Whenever you find yourself starting to slip, listen to this audio at least once a day for a week.” You don’t have to listen to the audio, simply keep these types of reminders in a place where you can see them and reread them whenever necessary.
Consulting Tip Bonus
Blogging tip #1: you can find inspiration for blog posts anywhere, if you simply leave yourself open to that possibility.
Blogging tip # 2: keep a folder or a notebook or a Word doc of possible blog topics when they come to you, so you’ll have a constant resource from which to pull.
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