Complement Someone

No, I didn't spell that incorrectly (if you read my "I never want to be sic[k]" post on the thoughtLEADERS blog, you'll understand my maniacal focus on spelling accuracy). Complement someone. You're a service professional. You have a business built on leveraging your particular core competencies. Those skills likely provide you a wonderfully profitable niche. The difficult part comes when you are given the opportunity to work outside that niche.

Ahhhh... what a dilemma.

More work, more revenue but on a topic that's not completely in your wheelhouse. You can either expand your offerings, stretch yourself a little, and keep all the spoils for yourself (while at the same time assuming the risk of delivering a less-than-stellar service since it's a new area for you) or you can let someone complement you. In other words, admit you're not the best person to provide the new service to your client but you know exactly who that right person is. Call someone in your network. Send the work their way. Let them do an outstanding job in their niche. Let them reap the rewards of the service provision. Your client will thank you (they get better service and know you have their interests at heart). Your colleague will thank you. And ultimately, your colleague will create opportunities for you to complement them. It's a great way to grow your business, stay focused on what you do best and ensure the best services are provided by the best providers. Everyone wins. Give it a try.

- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC