Mistakes and failures are great for teaching you what not to do. My past mistakes have helped me grow and learn. However, mistakes don't always help you discover what works. You could move from one mistake to the next and never identify the success formula to make your business prosper or overcome a specific issue or challenge. After 19 years in business, I've learned to study my successes at least as closely as I study my failures. Apply this formula for becoming a student of your own successes:
Identify an achievement or success, either business or personal.
Break down the elements of that success. Focus on what you did and the steps you took that made the difference. Capture your state of mind at each step.
Identify the best practices from this success that might help you start or grow your legal nurse consulting (LNC) business.
Identify a specific business challenge that would benefit from these best practices.
Apply the best practices to the relevant challenge or objective.
Keep a Success Journal and write down one success daily. Review your journal weekly to remind yourself of your ability to succeed.
Celebrate and reward yourself for your successes.
Continue doing what you do well as you create bigger and better successes.
To accelerate your growth exponentially, learn from others' successes, too.
As nurses we all have countless successes. We're nurses and we can do anything. Become a success student today.
Your Success Coach,
Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
These Little Rules Can Make a Big Difference in Your Confidence
by Pamela A. Hollsten, RN, BSN, DABFN, CLNC
Appropriate business etiquette is nothing more than knowing what to do and when to do it. The primary purpose of social and business occasions should be building rapport with your prospect or client – eating and entertainment are secondary. The basic principle of etiquette is simply to make all participants, regardless of gender or age, feel relaxed and comfortable.
Once you master the fundamentals of etiquette, they will come naturally to you, and you'll feel more confident and in control in any business situation. That confidence will help you make a better impression on your client or prospect.
Don't Let Awkward Questions Stand in the Way of Building Rapport
At a business meal, the first thing that can cause feelings of awkwardness is the question, "Who's picking up the tab?" When I invite an attorney-client to lunch, I mention to the server in advance that I am the host. This avoids any awkward moments at the end of the meal. If you are a woman, you usually will be asked to order first. You may tell the server, "Please take my guest's order first." This reassures your guest that you will be responsible for the tab and indicates to the server that you should receive the check.
If you're the attorney-client's guest, the next awkward question is, "How much should I spend?" As the guest, you can determine the appropriate price range by asking "What do you recommend?" Only order an appetizer or dessert if your host suggests it or does so herself.
If you're the host, make things easier on your guests by choosing a restaurant you're familiar with (and know you can afford) and mentioning some of your favorite menu choices. Keep the meal simple by avoiding elaborate menus. Stick with foods most people enjoy, such as a salad, main dish and beverage.
Set the Tone for a Working Lunch with the Right Attire
Most of my dining experiences are "working" lunches, perhaps a meeting with a potential expert and an attorney. There is usually a pre-determined topic that becomes the focus of conversation. Whether the meal is lunch or dinner, appropriate attire for a business meeting will serve you well in these situations. If dining in a more casual establishment, a pantsuit or tailored slacks and blazer may be more suitable. Remember, you never can tell who you may meet or be introduced to during the course of the meal. Always be mindful of the first impression you want to make in any business setting, including a business lunch or dinner.
Common Sense Courtesy Smooths the Way
When meeting at a restaurant, I recommend waiting in the lobby until all parties have arrived unless the host specified in advance that everyone should meet at the table.
It's courteous to wait until everyone is seated before ordering beverages or looking at the menu.
If your guest is detained, wait about 15 minutes past the designated time, then call the office to determine the cause of the delay.
If you are being introduced to another person joining or visiting your table, stand and shake hands during the introduction.
Proper Dining Etiquette Takes Practice
Fortunately, with dining etiquette, you can practice the proper use of utensils, place settings and other rules of engagement in the comfort and safety of your own home first. You may even purchase videotapes that illustrate and demonstrate these skills. The basics are easy to remember:
Individual bread or salad plates are placed to the left of the dinner plate. Beverages go to the right of the dinner plate.
Eating utensils are used from the outside of the plate in on either side. For instance, the salad fork is outside the dinner fork, and the soup spoon is outside the teaspoon. If a spoon or fork is placed above the place setting, it should be used for dessert.
Food items, such as rolls, should be offered to the person on your left, then passed to your right. Offer food items to others before taking or using them yourself.
Above all, don't let worrying about appropriate dining etiquette or any other potentially awkward situation keep you from enjoying and making the most of these business occasions. If you are unsure of the proper behavior or expectations in such settings, review one of the many excellent resources in advance. I have listed a few references I refer to as the need arises.
The little things can leave a strong impression in these situations. The savvy LNC will brush up on the various rules of etiquette to be sure even the little things work in her favor in the business setting. Bon appetit!
The Etiquette Advantage in Business: Personal Skills for Professional Success, by Peggy and Peter Post, 1999, HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Prentice Hall Complete Business Etiquette Handbook, by Barbara Pachter and Marjorie Brody, 1995, Prentice Hall.
Business Etiquette in Brief: The Competitive Edge for Today's Professional, by Ann Marie Sabath, 1993, Bob Adams, Inc.
Pam Hollsten, RN, BSN, DABFN, CLNC, an independent LNC in Georgia, owns Hollsten & Associates, specializing in medical malpractice.
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
A Professional Development Plan Can Enhance Your CLNC® Success
by Evie Baron-Hernandez
Beginning Certified Legal Nurse Consultants (CLNC®s) are constantly asking, "Am I doing the right thing to enhance my career?" or "What do I need to know to succeed?" Even an experienced CLNC® facing new career challenges will ask these questions.
If you're a beginner, you may still be searching for what you need to succeed. Successful legal nurse consultants (LNCs) will tell you that the fastest path to success starts with the proper training. But you can't stop there. Allowing yourself to become stagnant can be disastrous. Ongoing training is critical for staying on the cutting edge.
A Professional Development Plan (PDP) can keep you growing and moving in the right direction. Many companies require every employee, from the receptionist to the CEO, to develop a PDP to improve their skills and increase their effectiveness. Your PDP will keep you on top today while challenging you to grow in the future.
Here's how to develop a PDP that can guide you in continually enhancing your CLNC® skills and creating a more successful LNC business:
Step 1 – Determine the competencies you need to succeed as a CLNC®, such as:
Apply the most competitive marketing strategies to leave your competitors in the dust. The CLNC® Certification Program arms you with sound marketing strategies. Stay up on the latest marketing principles found in marketing journals and seminars. Seminars also reinforce the fundamental concepts you've already learned to help you master them and adapt them to your needs.
Learn how to connect with your attorney-client. Sales training is important to even the most experienced sales person and is essential to a developing business. You need to pitch your services differently to different types of prospects. Books, audiotapes and seminars are available to help you build the confidence to deliver the right pitch successfully.
Acquire the knowledge to review any type of medical-related case. Attend case evaluation workshops to learn how to analyze the most commonly litigated types of cases. You will then feel confident when one of these cases comes your way. At least you will know the best way to subcontract the case to an RN who is an expert on the issues.
Create a contact management system to keep up with your prospects. Your database should include all your prospects' information. Learn to work with contact management software like Act or Goldmine which can also help you perform many small business functions, such as invoicing.
Learn your way around the World Wide Web. Internet savvy is especially helpful when you're researching information for attorneys. This skill alone can save you countless hours of tedious library research.
Step 2 – Identify the competencies you need to win more business from attorneys. While most RNs know how to analyze medical records, specialized LNC training through the Medical-Legal Consulting Institute helps you apply that knowledge more proficiently in the legal arena.
Step 3 – Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 on the competencies you desire to improve. Your goal is to become at least a 9 in each area. There's always room for improvement.
Step 4 – Ask a mentor to objectively rate you in these competencies and suggest areas for improvement. (CLNC®s and CLNC® students can take advantage of the exceptional benefit of free mentoring with MLCI.) Ask your mentor for specific tips on how to improve and where to get training. By evaluating your strategies before you make costly mistakes, your mentor can make a big difference in accelerating your success.
Step 5 – Develop an action plan to achieve specific measurable results by a certain time. You and your mentor should evaluate your improvement at each milestone along the way.
Step 6 – Identify your preferred and most effective learning style. Does listening to audiotapes impact you the way attending a live training session would? Do you learn better independently, in a classroom setting or with a one-on-one coach? As you seek to develop new competencies, make use of the learning style that works best for you.
In mentoring new CLNC®s , I find that they often expect success to happen overnight. That's a nice fantasy, but like every other profession, legal nurse consulting requires constant growth and development. With a well thought-out professional development plan, you can make your path to success a lot smoother.
Evie Baron-Hernandez has more than 14 years' experience in sales and customer service and has coached hundreds of entrepreneurs on sales and marketing techniques. Evie is the CLNC® marketing mentor at MLCI.
CLNC ® Q & A
Conquer Fear of Failure with Firm Success Foundation
Q.
I'm afraid of changing careers and starting my own business as an LNC. What if I fail?
A.
Fear of failure can be your biggest obstacle when making a life-changing career move. The best way to overcome fear is to take small positive steps that don't overwhelm you. Commit yourself to taking 1 action step every day for 30 days. Soon, this discipline of daily action will become a habit, and the bigger steps will become easier.
Remember, success favors those who are prepared. Prepare for success with this strong foundation:
Educate yourself about the steps you need to take. Be a sponge and learn everything you can about this new career adventure you're considering.
Tap into your past work and life experiences as you create your new business. Just because you are venturing into a new career doesn't mean you should forget all you learned in the past. Apply those valuable lessons to your present challenges.
Draw inspiration from situations in which you feared failure, but didn't let it stop you. How did you overcome your fears? What risks did you take that put you a little outside your comfort zone? What sparked you to take that first step?
Seek sound business advice from professionals and surround yourself with successful people. Always listen to and model after those who are more successful than you are.
