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S.E.T. Yourself Up for Success

March 2009

I have a very important question to ask you: Do you have enough support in your life? (I’m not talking about
a good bra…but that’s also helpful!)

Who can you call when you need back up, to brainstorm business strategies, or in moments of emotional crisis? A solid support network allows you to be your best, achieve what you want and be the woman you’ve always aspired to be.

Most women find it hard to ask for help; sometimes it makes us feel weak or inadequate. Sometimes we get so used to doing things on our own that the idea of getting help just doesn’t cross our minds. Asking for support is a sign of strength and ambition, an indication that you’re ready to take on more in life.

Unfortunately, many self-employed professionals suffer from the lone ranger mentality. Can you relate?Creating a world class support team
There are three basic types of support: Strategic, Emotional and Task. Each type supports a different side of you and your business, and they are equally important. So let’s take a good look at each kind of support that self-employed women need, where to find it, and how to attract more of it.

It’s important to be independent, self-reliant and to trust that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to. Consider people who have experienced great success or have contributed to the world or their communities – they didn’t do it alone. While you need to know that you can depend on yourself, if you continue to do everything on your own, you will limit the level of contribution and difference you can make in the world.

 

Strategic support comes from people with more experience or perspective than you have, such as a colleague, mentor, coach or mastermind group. It could also come from someone you hire, such as an assistant or lawyer. It helps you shorten your learning curve, find resources, and create faster, better results.

Whenever I’m facing a new project, the first thing I do is go through my contact database, looking for people who have done it before or know more than I do. I ask myself who could help with this? How can I make this an effortless process? Who’s done this before? Who might be willing to collaborate on this? It might take me a half an hour, but this process has saved SO much time!

Relationships that provide strategic support can be formal (i.e. mastermind groups, teachers, etc.) or informal (i.e. a smart and friendly colleague). Most of us lean toward one or the other, but in my experience, people need a balance of the two.

Wouldn’t it be great if you had 3-10 savvy people you could call for a quick brainstorm on any given day? This kind of informal strategic support can make all the difference when you’re up against a wall. Instead of staring at a computer screen, you can pick up the phone and solve problems in a moment. And membership in formal groups, such as industry associations and masterminds, can give you a tremendous edge. Leverage these resources!

Emotional support is something that every person on this planet needs. Women seem to need an extra dose on occasion (okay – daily). But if you’re a woman who has a lot on her plate, having emotional support is even more important, and if you’re an entrepreneurial woman with high standards and ambitions, well… it’s like oxygen!

Sometimes it’s the emotional support that helps put a business back on track – or on the fast track! What I want for every one of you is to have at least 3-7 other women on your “emotional support team” – women
you feel safe enough with to confide your greatest fears, seek comfort and really bare your soul to. A community of intimate, like-minded women gives you permission and encouragement to be all that you want to be. We owe it to ourselves to establish relationships that can be all of that – because we need and
deserve it. The way we hold each other is the very foundation of our life as women.

Task support comes from those who help you get things done – your assistant, housekeeper, babysitter and the helping hands of those we love. The support of these people allows you to have more time and energy for the things that you love to do and the things that make the biggest difference in your life.

Did you know that the average woman in a family of four devotes 20-25 hours a week to running her household?* That’s a lot of time! What could you be doing with your family if someone else was scrubbing your toilet and running to the post office?

Delegate the things that drain you first; then move on to the things that are a poor use of your valuable time and attention. After all, people pay you for that! But no one pays you to go to the dry cleaners.

If financial resources have kept you from seeking task support, get creative. Who can you barter or trade with?

Savvy Steps: Hitch up your pantyhose and get moving!

1. Take a good look at your life and the levels of support you’ve established up to this point. Assess each of
the three areas: strategy, emotion and task. Rate your current levels on a scale of 1-10. (1 = dismal, 10 = more support than you need)

2. For each type of support, what would a “10” look like? Be specific – this is part of your vision of your
Ideal Life.

3. What prevents you from seeking more support in each area?

4. How can you increase the level of support you currently experience in each area?

Do an initial brainstorm on these questions, but keep this assignment “on your plate” for a while. Think about it while you drive, while you do dishes, while you file paperwork. Here are some great questions to use: Who could be doing this for me? Who could make this easier?

Don’t be fooled—to cultivate a strong support network and ask for help is a crucial skill to master, but to really serve your family, your community and your customers, you have to have support! Decide to let go of the lone ranger mentality and make collaboration a fundamental way you do business.

*According to Take Time for Your Life by Cheryl Richardson

Master Certified Coach Teresia LaRocque is a professional speaker and a pioneer in the profession of personal and business coaching. Teresia is committed to helping self-employed professional women build successful businesses and live a life that they love! To be a part of our complimentary community visit
www.teresia.com or email your comments and questions to info@teresia.com.

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