What a freelancer can learn from the impeachment hearings
I promise to make this a non-partisan blog post. Really!
I’ve had the impeachment hearings on within earshot of my office all for the past few days. I have to admit, I have a fascination with parliamentary procedures. This comes from years of volunteering on various boards. One time, the community council I participated in actually hired a parliamentarian to be present in a contentious meeting about parking. I was fascinated by the order it brought to the room.
In the course of listening from my office, I found that there are great tips one can learn from all the pomp and circumstance of the impeachment hearings. After all, parliamentary procedures were created “for the assembly to conduct its businesses in the most efficient way possible while considering the rights of its members”. Don’t we all want efficiency and rights as business owners?
Here are five things the impeachment hearings have taught me as a freelancer:
- Be honest– Be honest with yourself and your clients. You never have to worry about getting your story straight if you stick to the facts. This means consistency in your approach, proposals and messaging with your client.
- Be the chairman– Never let your client run the show. You run the show. You can respect the minority without giving up your authority. But this comes with responsibility. It’s up to you to stay on top of the project.
- Be mindful of minority rights– This might mean a small design change you personally don’t like but the client really wants. As long as you are holding your rank as the chairman, you can give enough for the client to feel like part of the process.
- Be attentive– Nothing can help you more than listening intently to your clients even if you don’t like what you are hearing. Be kind and caring. Again, you are still the chairperson!
- Finally, TAKE NOTES– Okay, the main point I can’t stop thinking about with this impeachment hearing in the background right now is that NOTETAKING is the key to being on top of your business. PERIOD. It’s the key to daily operations (work journal), client interactions (meeting notes), requests for support (email threads). This list goes on and on! Those that have taken notes right after a meeting have seemed more credible and don’t say “I don’t recall” as much as those that took no notes at all.
While I really hate “both-side-ism” I totally believe there is something to learn and apply to your life as our country goes through this rare process.
Are you tuning into impeachment?
RESOURCES: Wikipedia: Principles of parliamentary procedure
