Healthy Person, Healthy Practice

The following is based on one of The Covenant Group’s clients. All of the names and telling details have been changed.

When Greg walked into our first workshop, we were struck by how unhealthy he looked. He was at least 30 pounds overweight and seemed tired and worn down. When we interviewed Greg for our Business Builder program, he mentioned that at 43, he was feeling burned out. Greg’s decision to get involved in our program was driven by his desire to gain control over his time.

This is a common complaint of high performing advisors. Greg was paying the price for his success. When I asked Greg to describe a typical week, he sighed and described 10 to 12-hour working days that left him depleted when he went home to his wife and young family. The zest and passion he felt for the business was eroding. He could not imagine himself as a successful and fulfilled financial advisor 15 or 20 years from now.

Like many successful advisors, Greg was living the American dream. His family lived in an affluent neighbourhood. His children went to private schools, and his wife was a stay-at-home mom. Yet, Greg felt empty. His work was becoming a means to an end. It was a means of providing a quality life for his family. Somehow, Greg had lost sight of the importance of quality time in his own life.

Our founder and CEO, Norm Trainor, his wide is a Marital and Sex Therapist. One of the things that he has learned from her is that the presenting problem is usually not the real issue. When individuals or couples come to see her, it is often because they are having difficulties with intimacy. It may be characterized by low desire or feelings of resentment or alienation. The real problem is in the way in which they are communicating with each other. In Greg’s case, the presenting problem was the lack of quality time in his work. He was spending too much time doing tasks that he did not enjoy. Work had become a burden, rather than a source of enjoyment and pleasure. But the real problem was a lack of quality time in his life.

There are five dimensions in our lives: work, family, community, self and our spiritual growth and development. Like many high achievers, Greg’s life was out of balance. He was focused on work. The lines that separate these dimensions of our lives are permeable. When one area of our lives is out of balance, it affects all of the other areas. Greg needed to get his life back into balance.

In the first few months of our work together, we focused on time management. Most people think that effective time management comes from learning the skills of managing their calendar. The key to effective time management is having clarity of intention. The word intention comes from the same root as aim or plan. Intention is an indication of what someone plans to do. The challenge with Greg was to help him understand that a healthy practice was based upon a healthy life. Together, we laid out a schedule for Greg that included four workouts a week, a conscious effort to lose weight through exercise and proper nutrition, a disciplined approach to spending quality time with his wife and children and involvement in community and church activities.

Greg learned to delegate work that he did not enjoy or was not particularly good at, in order to focus on doing things he enjoys. Greg loves to work with clients and spend time in marketing and sales activities. As Greg began to feel better and look better, his confidence soared. The zest and passion he once felt for his work returned. His work with a personal trainer toned his body. Our work together toned his mind. He learned to focus on those areas of his work and life that are most rewarding. As a result, his revenue grew dramatically, and his sense of fulfilment even more so.

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The Covenant Group is referred to by many as the place entrepreneurs go to become Business Builders. They are considered to be thought leaders and have authored the best-selling books, The 8 Best Practices of High- Performing Salespeople, The Entrepreneurial Journey, and The Business Builder.