Most of the time you’re going to go through your day and not use any outside advisors. Most of the time this is a good thing to do.
Then, there are those times where you have a huge opportunity or problem staring you in the face and you’re stuck. You really don’t know what to do. This just might be the time to open your checkbook and start to think about how you can buy some help.
Look for some help with online courses.
The easiest to afford and the hardest to use are online courses that can help you look at taking advantage of your opportunities or work on a problem you’re having. Online courses could be just the ticket that is if you have these two things going for you:
- You can find an online course that will help you do what you want.
- You have the discipline to do the course after you buy it.
I don’t know about you but both of these have been and continue to be challenges for me. I can’t tell you how many courses I’ve bought and then never done the work.
Online courses can be a great thing if you have the discipline to do them. Otherwise, you’re just throwing your money away.
It might be time for you to join a mastermind group.
The next thing you might want to look at is joining a mastermind group. I’m in love with what I call peer groups. These programs could be as simple as you getting together with some business friends from time to time all of the way to having a paid program where you work with some of the top brains in the business world.
The good news about masterminds is that you get to use the collective wisdom of those siting around the table. The bad news about them is sometimes that collective wisdom isn’t very useful for the opportunity or problem you’re having.
I think you need to consider a mastermind in either case. There are times where your peers are a great help and there are times you’ll want to use a different strategy. I can tell you that there will be times where a mastermind group is the perfect solution for what you’re facing.
Then there’s the consulting route.
Consultants can be a big help in helping you figure out what you need to do. As long as you stay in control of the consulting process and keep your consultant on task with what you want to accomplish, they can be very useful.
Just like an online course, you and your team are going to be responsible for all of the implementation and follow through when you decide to use a consultant.
Just remember that consultants aren’t implementers, they’re idea people. As long as you keep that straight in your mind, you’ll be fine with a consultant.
What about having your own private mentor?
The most expensive and effective way of getting advice for working on an opportunity or problem in your business is having your own mentor work with you. A mentor not only helps you think through what it is you’re trying to accomplish, they stick around to help you get your program implemented.
Private mentorship is expensive. At the same time, I want you to answer this question, what is the value of the opportunity you’re facing? If the number is big enough or the value high enough you will want to consider this option. It’s the best way to give you a chance of getting an outcome you’re looking for.
The ultimate……find a thinking partner.
All of the above ways of taking advantage of opportunities will work. With each you’ll want to make sure that you find someone or some way of making sure you have a thinking partner to help you go through the process.
A thinking partner joins you on your side of the table and asks you great questions. Your thinking partner helps you understand why it is what you want to accomplish is worth while. Your thinking partner understands it’s about what you want and not what they think you want.
Whoever you decide or however you decide to work on your big opportunity make sure you have help. Sometimes it’s just too hard for us to get out of our own way. This is where an outsider comes in. You only have to decide what type of outsider to use.
What do you think? Why don’t you let me know in the comments below?
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