Professional Development: Ready or Not, Here You Come

The playground is a childhood institution ' a place where fun can always be had and friendships can easily be forged. No matter where you grew up, there is a good chance that as a child you spent time at a playground.

While you were playing and having fun at the playground as a child, you were also developing certain skills and abilities that will serve you well when it comes to business development. The following lesson plan illustrates how you can draw upon some of those “playground skills” to achieve greater success with your business development efforts.

The Playground Five-Step Lesson Plan

Lesson 1: Do What Comes Naturally

Think back to your time on the playground. What piece of equipment did you run to play on first? If you ask 10 adults this question, you may get 10 different answers. Why is this the case? Because the playground is intentionally designed to cater to individual and varying interests of different children. The multiple sources of entertainment that the playground provides offers children the opportunity to spend their time doing what appeals to them the most.

Like at the playground, you should be just as discerning about the business development actions you choose to pursue. Since tactical options and approaches abound in business development, you need to be selective and decide upon an approach that will work best for you, by taking into account your personality characteristics, communication style, and comfort level.

So where do you begin? The first step is to spend some time thinking about your likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. Be introspective and honest with yourself ' what kind of person are you and what are you the most comfortable doing? This process will help you develop a business development plan that will ultimately work to your strengths, resulting in a greater likelihood of both implementation and success. Don't fret ' you don't need to be an extrovert to be successful at business development.

Lesson 2: Overcome Fears

Children seem to have no fear of taking personal risks. At the playground, you often see children very easily and naturally approaching one another. These effortless interactions often lead to new friendships.

This natural proclivity to take personal risks, the source of so many positive outcomes as children, seems to diminish and sometimes disappear entirely as we get older. It is often replaced with high levels of anxiety and fear, particularly in the business development context. These fears are directly attributable to the focus that is placed on the negative outcomes (rejection, dismissal, failure) that may result by taking personal risks.

Overcoming these fears can be accomplished by adopting a more positive mindset about business development. In order to do so, you must first embrace business development as a simple set of actions that will lead to positive results. This approach is entirely focused on action over outcome. By focusing on achievable actions, you feel a greater sense of predictability and control over the outcomes. This sense of control often translates into a more positive mindset about business development. Your positive mindset will also contribute to your business development achievements. Believe it or not, the fear and anxiety you once felt may even be replaced with a renewed appetite for taking more personal risks when it comes to your business development efforts.

Lesson 3: Make Friends

When it comes to friends, kids keep it simple. They spend time with those who share common interests. When they are at the playground, this same rule applies. Kids are drawn together based upon the activities they enjoy at the playground.

This concept translates into business development efforts as well. As previously described, business development is merely a process with the goal of developing new clients, and clients are people with whom you must build relationships. And the best way to build relationships is by consistently showing a keen interest in getting to know these people. By asking the right questions, not just any questions, you will show your sincerity and demonstrate that you are really listening and hearing their needs and concerns.

A second aspect of relationship-building is to provide people with things that are of interest to them. Always consider both personal (when appropriate) and professional interests. If you have asked the right questions and listened to the responses, you should be able to pick up on their personal interests such as sports, music, art or other pastimes. When the time is right, offer tickets to games or concerts or see what exhibit is at the local art gallery. Balance these efforts with professional ones, by sending articles or legal updates, competitive reports, or other information that may be of interest or which impacts their business.

Often, one of the most overlooked, but most appreciated invitations, are offers of introduction to others within your network. Introductions are frequently professional in nature, but can also be personal. Most people remember and appreciate these types of gestures, particularly when they are directly related to an expressed concern or interest.

What it all comes down to is being thoughtful, methodical, and consistent with your actions. If you stick with it and continue to deliver, your efforts will not only build lasting relationships but will, in the long run, result in new clients.

Lesson 4: Play Nice

The concept of sharing is introduced to children at a very early age and often at the playground. Children are taught (sometimes forced) to share their bucket, ball or bike with other children. They learn very quickly that sharing is good as it results in positive feelings and outcomes all around.

Sharing is also the name of the game in business development. And while we all learned to share so nicely as children, sharing does not always come as naturally as we get older. Sharing can be a very effective way to help achieve our business development goals. Think of how much easier it is to develop relationships and opportunities when they come from the personal referrals or introductions of others.

Often, you may need to be the one to initiate the “share” by asking for an introduction or providing an introduction on someone else's behalf. Social Media can help make this process so much easier. You can use LinkedIn, Facebook or even Twitter to connect with people and ask for introductions. Whatever approach you take, the effort will ultimately benefit all the parties involved. Of course, you want to be sure that you communicate the ground rules and expectations that may result from the introduction. Never leave that to chance.

Also consider a tag-team approach with a colleague whom you know and trust. Together, you can reach out to each of your respective contacts or new contacts to promote one another and capitalize on the different skill sets you each bring to the table.

You can also “share” the ups and downs of your business development efforts via a buddy system. A buddy can be particularly helpful when it comes to maintaining motivation. A greater sense of accountability exists when you have to report back to someone else to show the progress you have made (or have failed to make) on your action plan. A buddy can also inject you with a fresh dose of confidence or the needed boost during the times when you are frustrated or feel as if you are spinning your wheels. Or, consider hiring an outside business development coach to get you started or to keep you motivated. They can help you develop a plan and keep you focused and accountable. Studies show that if you make a monetary investment in your business development efforts, you are far more likely to stick with it and stay the course.

Lesson 5: Practice, Practice, Practice

The playground was where you practiced your upside-down bar hang, wall climb or fireman pole slide. How many countless times did you fall down before you mastered each of these skills? Like the playground tricks you conquered as a child, business development requires regular and consistent practice, and persistence. You need to set some realistic and straightforward goals and stick to them.

For example, reaching out to your “high potential” leads once a month with an article of interest, or an e-mail checking in, or perhaps to grab a quick coffee is definitely attainable. For your more long-term leads, you may want to connect every three to six months. Either way, hold yourself accountable by setting reminders in your calendar and following through on the actions you decide make the most sense for you.

The skills and experiences of the playground can and will serve you well when it comes to business development. The key to your success ' just as the key to your day of fun at the playground ' is to find what you like to do, do it well, and do it often. In the end, how much fun you had at the playground depends on you ' your efforts, your willingness to learn and your commitment to the process.

Michelle Michaels, National Director of Diversity for Foley & Lardner LLP, is actively involved with firm's diversity and inclusion efforts, and leads various collaborative, cross-departmental projects aimed at moving Foley's diversity efforts forward. She may be reached at 312- 832-4509 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Christie Caceres is a National Client Development Manager at the firm who works on targeted business development plans, execution strategies and one-on-one coaching. She may be reached at 312-832-4542 or via e-mail at [email protected].

The playground is a childhood institution ' a place where fun can always be had and friendships can easily be forged. No matter where you grew up, there is a good chance that as a child you spent time at a playground.

While you were playing and having fun at the playground as a child, you were also developing certain skills and abilities that will serve you well when it comes to business development. The following lesson plan illustrates how you can draw upon some of those “playground skills” to achieve greater success with your business development efforts.

The Playground Five-Step Lesson Plan

Lesson 1: Do What Comes Naturally

Think back to your time on the playground. What piece of equipment did you run to play on first? If you ask 10 adults this question, you may get 10 different answers. Why is this the case? Because the playground is intentionally designed to cater to individual and varying interests of different children. The multiple sources of entertainment that the playground provides offers children the opportunity to spend their time doing what appeals to them the most.

Like at the playground, you should be just as discerning about the business development actions you choose to pursue. Since tactical options and approaches abound in business development, you need to be selective and decide upon an approach that will work best for you, by taking into account your personality characteristics, communication style, and comfort level.

So where do you begin? The first step is to spend some time thinking about your likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. Be introspective and honest with yourself ' what kind of person are you and what are you the most comfortable doing? This process will help you develop a business development plan that will ultimately work to your strengths, resulting in a greater likelihood of both implementation and success. Don't fret ' you don't need to be an extrovert to be successful at business development.

Lesson 2: Overcome Fears

Children seem to have no fear of taking personal risks. At the playground, you often see children very easily and naturally approaching one another. These effortless interactions often lead to new friendships.

This natural proclivity to take personal risks, the source of so many positive outcomes as children, seems to diminish and sometimes disappear entirely as we get older. It is often replaced with high levels of anxiety and fear, particularly in the business development context. These fears are directly attributable to the focus that is placed on the negative outcomes (rejection, dismissal, failure) that may result by taking personal risks.

Overcoming these fears can be accomplished by adopting a more positive mindset about business development. In order to do so, you must first embrace business development as a simple set of actions that will lead to positive results. This approach is entirely focused on action over outcome. By focusing on achievable actions, you feel a greater sense of predictability and control over the outcomes. This sense of control often translates into a more positive mindset about business development. Your positive mindset will also contribute to your business development achievements. Believe it or not, the fear and anxiety you once felt may even be replaced with a renewed appetite for taking more personal risks when it comes to your business development efforts.

Lesson 3: Make Friends

When it comes to friends, kids keep it simple. They spend time with those who share common interests. When they are at the playground, this same rule applies. Kids are drawn together based upon the activities they enjoy at the playground.

This concept translates into business development efforts as well. As previously described, business development is merely a process with the goal of developing new clients, and clients are people with whom you must build relationships. And the best way to build relationships is by consistently showing a keen interest in getting to know these people. By asking the right questions, not just any questions, you will show your sincerity and demonstrate that you are really listening and hearing their needs and concerns.

A second aspect of relationship-building is to provide people with things that are of interest to them. Always consider both personal (when appropriate) and professional interests. If you have asked the right questions and listened to the responses, you should be able to pick up on their personal interests such as sports, music, art or other pastimes. When the time is right, offer tickets to games or concerts or see what exhibit is at the local art gallery. Balance these efforts with professional ones, by sending articles or legal updates, competitive reports, or other information that may be of interest or which impacts their business.

Often, one of the most overlooked, but most appreciated invitations, are offers of introduction to others within your network. Introductions are frequently professional in nature, but can also be personal. Most people remember and appreciate these types of gestures, particularly when they are directly related to an expressed concern or interest.

What it all comes down to is being thoughtful, methodical, and consistent with your actions. If you stick with it and continue to deliver, your efforts will not only build lasting relationships but will, in the long run, result in new clients.

Lesson 4: Play Nice

The concept of sharing is introduced to children at a very early age and often at the playground. Children are taught (sometimes forced) to share their bucket, ball or bike with other children. They learn very quickly that sharing is good as it results in positive feelings and outcomes all around.

Sharing is also the name of the game in business development. And while we all learned to share so nicely as children, sharing does not always come as naturally as we get older. Sharing can be a very effective way to help achieve our business development goals. Think of how much easier it is to develop relationships and opportunities when they come from the personal referrals or introductions of others.

Often, you may need to be the one to initiate the “share” by asking for an introduction or providing an introduction on someone else's behalf. Social Media can help make this process so much easier. You can use LinkedIn, Facebook or even Twitter to connect with people and ask for introductions. Whatever approach you take, the effort will ultimately benefit all the parties involved. Of course, you want to be sure that you communicate the ground rules and expectations that may result from the introduction. Never leave that to chance.

Also consider a tag-team approach with a colleague whom you know and trust. Together, you can reach out to each of your respective contacts or new contacts to promote one another and capitalize on the different skill sets you each bring to the table.

You can also “share” the ups and downs of your business development efforts via a buddy system. A buddy can be particularly helpful when it comes to maintaining motivation. A greater sense of accountability exists when you have to report back to someone else to show the progress you have made (or have failed to make) on your action plan. A buddy can also inject you with a fresh dose of confidence or the needed boost during the times when you are frustrated or feel as if you are spinning your wheels. Or, consider hiring an outside business development coach to get you started or to keep you motivated. They can help you develop a plan and keep you focused and accountable. Studies show that if you make a monetary investment in your business development efforts, you are far more likely to stick with it and stay the course.

Lesson 5: Practice, Practice, Practice

The playground was where you practiced your upside-down bar hang, wall climb or fireman pole slide. How many countless times did you fall down before you mastered each of these skills? Like the playground tricks you conquered as a child, business development requires regular and consistent practice, and persistence. You need to set some realistic and straightforward goals and stick to them.

For example, reaching out to your “high potential” leads once a month with an article of interest, or an e-mail checking in, or perhaps to grab a quick coffee is definitely attainable. For your more long-term leads, you may want to connect every three to six months. Either way, hold yourself accountable by setting reminders in your calendar and following through on the actions you decide make the most sense for you.

The skills and experiences of the playground can and will serve you well when it comes to business development. The key to your success ' just as the key to your day of fun at the playground ' is to find what you like to do, do it well, and do it often. In the end, how much fun you had at the playground depends on you ' your efforts, your willingness to learn and your commitment to the process.

Michelle Michaels, National Director of Diversity for Foley & Lardner LLP, is actively involved with firm's diversity and inclusion efforts, and leads various collaborative, cross-departmental projects aimed at moving Foley's diversity efforts forward. She may be reached at 312- 832-4509 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Christie Caceres is a National Client Development Manager at the firm who works on targeted business development plans, execution strategies and one-on-one coaching. She may be reached at 312-832-4542 or via e-mail at [email protected].