Introducing Working Free
Supporting Director-level Independents
Working Free Ltd aims to be a leading web based UK Enabling Provider of career, professional and business development information to Director-level Independent Workers in the UK.
Its primary aim is to support the senior Executive coming out of permanent employment and wondering what to do next – and how. It will also be helpful to established Independent workers at senior levels keen to upscale their effectiveness.
For some years, now, there have been unprecedented and huge changes in our working world. Employment and working patterns and philosophies are shifting inexorably towards individuals with increasing momentum.
Echoes of Samuel Smiles
(1812 – 1904)
A bit quirky, you might think, but “Self Help by Samuel Smiles is all about people in business succeeding. It is mainly through perseverance. But it is also through looking for new angles, new insights, different ways of thinking, of interpreting, of managing, of leading.
Very few have ever heard of Samuel Smiles; even fewer know who he was, what he did – and about the book he wrote in 1859. His book – Self Help – is arguably the best book ever written about management, leadership, businesses and, crucially, people in businesses.
The same principles that drove the Industrial Revolution, are now driving our own revolution today. The fact that you may think this a bit off-the-wall and the opposite-of-fashionable should not stop you finding out more!
Echoes of Samuel Smiles 1812-1904How does it work?
It’s good to Talk!:
The Supporters Guide
The Guide has been written, with the aim that, having set up a Supporter relationship, you provide it to your selected partner and it becomes the shared behaviour “framework” for how you can discuss all the topics, challenges and opportunities, that undoubtedly will go with your transition journey.
You will find this suggestion particularly relevant as you work through Sections 3 and 5 of this website as they both contain exercises, with questions for you to consider. Bouncing your thinking and work across a Supporter or two would be very useful to you.
The Supporter relationship is built on the following cloverleaf model of “Listen, Probe, Encourage”.
You will find the Guide under Section 6 (Technical Topics) along with a more detailed look at the cloverleaf model.
The Supporters Guide
If you want to be successful as a Director-level Independent Worker, you need to…
Make sure you are clear on your strengths, what you have to offer and your value. You need to understand how to differentiate yourself.
You need to know this because these are the people and their organisations who will buy your professional product. You might think that those outside your market will provide referrals. Maybe. But never ever as much.
Read all about being a Self Drive Worker elsewhere on this website. You are positioned in the 47% of the 32m working population in the UK. Even if you don’t agree with this interpretation, your own answer is bound to be somewhere near. You might think you are in a lonely place; NOT true!
Always remember, you are as good as your last job. Keep yourself refreshed personally with fitness and professionally by taking part in CPD activities to keep on top of your chosen field of work.
Marketing and selling – these two different things are all-pervasive. You are doing it all the time. Similarly, there is no one section on this website that covers it all. It’s all over and everywhere!
No sales equals no revenue. So - if winning business is not something you have done in the past, develop your client relationship and influencing skills and learn from every client conversation. Always remember that people buy from people - so winning respect, credibility, trust and achieving a level of client chemistry always comes before an order. Be yourself, be authentic and, above all, develop a ‘client mind-set’ which enables you to understand a client’s needs. Seeing things from the other side of the table always impresses and leads to better quality proposals and solutions. 95% of an Independent’s success is based on understanding what the client brief is all about. This takes skill and experience and is always work in progress!
Let your friends know what you do and invest in building your network. Networking is much more than just winning business, it’s also about collaboration, support and building great relationships.
Set yourself up with good advisers – an accountant, lawyer and others you may need. Choose wisely and choose people who are not just good technically but who want to work in collaboration with you. Chemistry is everything.
Manage your time wisely – work on priorities, be organised and efficient in the way you run your business, you can then put your focus on being with clients.
Don’t be afraid to ask for support. “No-one is wiser than all of us!” You will always have peaks and troughs and it’s good to step back and talk things through with someone you trust.
Your reputation is everything so develop and protect it.
The process of continuously updating material, supported by judicious editing from the Centre, should prove to be helpful to the growing number of senior business and professional people now working remotely from the formal employee/ payroll model.
“Enabling Provider” means that, for each Technical Topic, information resident with third parties is discovered by WFL and the Technical Topic Partners and accessed by digital links. WFL and the Technical Topic Partner will know from where the best information is available. Where we can’t find that information or if we don’t think it exists, we will seek to create it ourselves.
Collaborating with www.devonshirehousenetwork.co.uk – Devonshire House Network is a people focused membership club for director-level professionals in leadership roles who have an instinctive focus on the human side of enterprise.
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