Bill Nelson

This months question is:

You have been known to at times get upset with clients and from what I hear, you have on the odd occasion actually sacked a client or two. Is it true and if so, how come?

Talk about being put on the spot and to be honest, not sure where you got your information from but here goes.

Simple answers are yes and yes.

I do occasionally get upset with clients. Especially when they are not holding up their end of the partnership. If the one sided involvement continues, I will let them know it is not working out. I will give them a chance to pick up the slack and if not, I am out of there.

To explain this approach in a little more detail (and not to justify my reasons) and to give you and insight to the process I follow, please let me introduce you to what I call The Transfer of Involvement.

Although you may not remember the experience, I have no doubt you are aware of it?

The experience I allude to is when you were being taught to walk. In the very early stages of the experience, chances are there was not a lot of motivated involvement by you.

Someone was holding your arms up above your head and basically walked you around the house or yard or wherever it was that provided the room and safe environment necessary for you to find your feet.

Next step was, that although you were very unsteady on your feet, you could stand. How long for, well that is an entirely different subject. But as you went through the trials and tribulations of standing upright for the first time by yourself, not far away was your helper ready to catch you as you endeavored to take that first step.

Then as we follow the order of your progression, we get to the third stage. This is where you started to take those first steps. One foot slowly, ever so slowly in front of the other.   Once again following your every move and only one step behind you was your helper ready to aid you whenever and wherever necessary.



Eventually, you were able to walk on your own. Problem solved.

A few years later you awoke one morning to be presented with a bike. Oh boy! A bike, fantastic. Only one problem, haven't got a clue how to ride it.

Then from nowhere you helper reappears. Three steps to bicycle success commences:

The first step is for you to be seated on your bike. The helper walks you around and around the back yard, just so you can get used to sitting on the bike and learning what a seat feels like. Learning that balance is easy with a helper and near impossible without.

What is it you do with those crazy things that go around and around in circles under your feet?

Stage two the helper decided its time for you to start taking some responsibility. They hold off on the pushing part, they get you started on the peddling part. They back off on holding you completely upright, you get a bit wobbly. Somehow you manage and to a certain extent, to stay upright. But the thing is you probably don't see the hand of safety holding the back of the seat and in the process stopping you from completely toppling over.


Third step, bicycle riding 101. You are off and riding - yee hah! But there right beside you and running like an Olympic marathoner is your helper making sure they do what they can to make sure you keep going. Your skill builds, your confidence soars, you go further ahead, and as this all unfolds your helper slowly, slowly steps back and leaves you to your own enjoyment and experience. Mission accomplished.

I think by now you get my point. That in each of these experiences there has been a Transfer of Involvement.

It starts out with your helper doing most of the work. It then goes into the second stage where the level of involvement is more of a 50/50 split. And then into the third stage where you are doing most of the work and the helper job to a certain extent is nearly complete.

Now think about how many of life's experiences follow this Transfer of Involvement.
scenario:

• Attaining an education

• Learning to drive a car

• Being the new guy in a band

• Living away from home for the first time

• Raising your first child

But how has this got anything to do with this months question of:

You have been known to at times get upset with clients and from what I hear you have on the odd occasion actually sacked a client or two. Is it true and if so how come?

Well the answer is simple. In my past job as a professional sports coach and in the role I currently play, my job is to make those I work with independent of me. The process to do this is The Transfer of Involvement.

That is; depending on what the situation is or what the requirements of the client is, chances are we start off our relationship with me doing most of the work. That is; finding out what is going on and why. Understanding the client, the situation and the desired outcomes.

Me putting together a strategy of how we can get the client to where they want to be.

We then get to the stage where there is a more even level of contribution of thought, effort and involvement. That is the work commitment (whatever form that takes) and involvement of the client is increased, so they start to take more responsibility in getting to where it is they want to go.

We then get to the final stage, that is; where the responsibility, the level of workload is more weighted to the client. This doesn't mean I do nothing, but it does mean that I am working at making them more independent.

The time and method to get to this stage varies greatly from person to person and situation to situation.

But here is the key for me in this journey.

If and when we get to this final stage and we begin the work necessary to get through it. If I am working harder at getting things done, than the person I am working with, then I try to resolve the imbalance, but if for any reason other than me this doesn't change, I am out of there.



Basically Bill helps those that are prepared to help themselves. The Transfer of Involvement.

The Journey Continues!