Finding Proof with Dr Tess Crawley

Staffing stress? You’re not on your Pat Malone! Many of you have recently brought on your first staff members, and I hear you. YOU. ARE. STRESSED. Building a team can be a truly exciting and rewarding time in any business, but it often comes with traumatic growth on the part of the business owner. This isn’t because you’re a bad leader or a bad business owner … You’re a great “technician” (skilled clinician, in the case of most of my clients), with no training on how to recruit and retain staff or how to build a great team culture. You’re so great at what you do, that you’ve built a wonderful reputation and are now swamped with work. That’s why you’ve recruited staff to help out. Trouble is, you can’t sustain your usual work load AND manage your team. Something’s gotta give! And that triggers fear. Big time. Clients mean dollars. Fewer clients means fewer dollars. How will you afford to reduce your client load so you can support your team? What if I told you that most of my busi

Why exactly am I so excited? Well some of it is a secret for now, but here’s what I can tell you … EXCITING NEWS! In addition to new online courses (announcement coming next week), I’m putting together a series of in-person events in Melbourne! It’s been such an incredibly long time since I’ve been able to run workshops, and I can’t wait to get back into that space again. I’m planning something incredibly spoiling … think stunning views, expert catering, and a whole day of indulgence (which is how I think of time spent working ON our businesses instead of IN our businesses). If you keep your eye out, you might see a sneak peak of the venue when I inspect it next Wednesday! What’s coming? … Workshops and working days … I’m planning at least a couple of events for the second half of this year. At least one will be a training day (think CEO Mindset on steroids) and at least one will be a working day (think No Quarter on speed!). They’ll be priced at around the $440 per head mark for a o

This week I’ve been speaking about this with my Like A Boss members (in BIG detail) and also introduced the concept to my No Quarter members. The key issues everyone is weighed down by seem to be: (i) A need to work “smarter-not-harder” after our past brutal couple of years; (ii) The need for several changes to how their businesses function in order to achieve this (time management, fee structure, recruitment, etc); and then (iii) complete overwhelm at how much work needs to be done with so little time and energy. But here’s what’s a given … no one will achieve anything if their diary doesn’t have dedicated time set aside each week for them to work on these things. Hence the diary reshape. And that triggers a cascade of fear: What if I can’t afford to take that time away from income generation? (Cue: fee structure discussion) What if my clients can’t get their preferred appointment time if I take time away from client work? (Cue: discuss guilt-induced over-availability) What if my

What’s it like to be a member of Like A Boss? Well, for starters the retreats are just magic - so much work ON your business, so much support, so much problem solving! This is Day Two of our current retreat, and this one’s a hybrid with some members on-site and some members zooming in. And it’s still magic! I’m only admitting ONE more member to this special group this year, so if you’ve been thinking about taking the plunge and joining us, now's the time to reach out. Visit https://bit.ly/LikeABossInfo for more details, or send me a message, I’m happy to answer all your questions. Tin tacks: -12 month program -$3,300 a month -Extreme level of support (1:1 and group) -Personal valet service from my assistants -Four retreats a year (including MidWinter Retreat) -Regular training sessions -Access to all my stuff and all my people! Would love to have you on board!

You already know what works to put you into a better frame of mind. Do more of that. And if you can’t find motivation, override it and take opposite action. * Don’t feel like walking? Go anyway. * Not in the mood to talk to anyone? Call a friend. * Feeling miserable? Watch a movie that always makes you laugh. You get the idea. You know what works for you. It’s just that sometimes we just can’t be arsed, right? Decide. Then do. Best wishes, Tess x p.s. If you need help with your mental health, my team at The Crawley Clinic (Melbourne and Launceston) can help - www.thecrawleyclinic.com.au - as can our colleagues at Crawley House - www.crawleyhouse.com.au

One of the main stressors in modern life is not having enough hours in the day. Trying to juggle working from home and remote learning for those of us in lockdown magnifies the problem. It stirs up the background noise of stress around getting things done at all (let alone on time). How’s your email inbox looking? What about your bills? How are you juggling remote schooling? I find the biggest time bandits in my day are common to most people: * Distraction (including constant interruptions) * Procrastination (including social media) * Perfectionism (not getting anything finished unless it’s “good enough”, or not starting because it “can’t” be good enough) * Overwhelm (too much to do, no idea where to start) What to do? Use apps to simplify your day AND remove any apps from your line of sight that will interrupt your flow * Electronic shopping lists * Voice messaging and voice-to-text apps * “Hide” interrupting apps (social media, email, etc) off the front page of your phon

“Why am I so tired all the time?” This is a question I hear all the time at the moment … and one I often ask myself! You might have seen media articles talking about ‘fatigue’ and ‘languishing’, but what’s it all about? And why can’t we just “pick ourselves up by the bootstraps” and soldier on like we used to? Well, let’s stop for a minute and think about all the things we’ve been dealing with for the past couple of years … and don’t forget to include the 2019 bushfires. We’ve not had a break since. * Bushfires * National lockdown * Work from home * Remote Learning * Closed borders * Lack of proper holidays * Rolling lockdowns * Vaccine rollout * Delta * Inability to plan * Protests * Interrupted education * Earthquake * Interrupted goals * Uncertainty about the future Think of your coping resources as being like water in a bucket … the impact of even one of the things we’ve had to deal with over the past two years will poke a hole in the bottom of that bucket. Now ima

We all need to feel seen and heard, especially when times are tough. We need to know that when we’re struggling, others see our pain. This provides validation that what we are experiencing is real. We also need to know that our reaction to difficult times is not “crazy”, but a normal response that anyone in the same situation would also experience. This helps normalise our response and take some of the self-judgement out of the equation. As mental health professionals normalising and validating peoples emotional experiences is a common aspect to our work with clients. It’s not a ‘treatment’ but an important element to laying the foundations for treatment to be effective, because it helps build trust. A fundamental component of the therapeutic relationship. What if you can’t someone who’ll provide that normalisation or validation for you? Then it’s time to take a step back and provide that for yourself. How? It involves a big dollop of self-compassion, and consciously tapping into vi

One of the easiest things we can do to improve the moment we are in (which can have the added benefit of refreshing our mood) is to grab a reset minute. What’s that? Something super simple that creates a pattern-interrupt when you’re in a bit of a mood fug. Even something as simple as changing your posture or vocalising can do it. * If you’ve been sitting at your desk and feel your forehead stuck in a frown, stand up and give yourself a bit of a shake. It will reset you physically and refresh you mentally. * The same with vocalising - Been working silently for a while? Sing. Or yell. Or just speak out loud. On a technical level changing our posture or vocalising activates different part of the brain than when we’ve been sitting silently in a fug. Two of my favourites are super simple: * Kylie Minogue (or any dance-inducing music) plus dancing like a lunatic * Singing like an opera singer on steroids … ANY song that comes to mind I will turn into an aria. Van Halen? Yep. Due Lipa

October is mental health awareness month. I’ve decided to bring some of my top tips for maintaining good mental health. A bit like cleaning your teeth to avoid decay, there are little things we can do each day to reset, refresh, and manage our moods. Today’s tip is GROUNDING … What does this mean? If we think of how our emotions have the occasional potential to spiral out of control, escalating higher and higher into the stratosphere, it can be really helpful to know how to head off that process and keep your mods grounded on planet earth. There are many ways to achieve this, and I’ll talk about some of them in more detail in coming days, but simple things like calm breathing techniques, mindfulness, and distraction can all help. Grounding is often one of the first strategies I teach my therapy clients, because it is just SO useful in so many settings. Have a wonderful day today, Tess x p.s. If you need help with your mental health, my team at The Crawley Clinic (Melbourne and La

It was so exciting to be interviewed by the wonderful Gerda Muller about the forthcoming Elevate 2021 conference, where I’ll be speaking on the topic of #CEOMindset. Can’t wait! Elevate 2021 is the Private Practice Success Conference for Allied Health & Mental Health Professionals scheduled for 15th & 16th September 2021. Details at: www.elevateconference.com.au/2021

The new financial year provides a great opportunity to spend time identifying and then nurturing important relationships to your business. Neighbours, clients, referrers, and staff … these are all relationships that contribute to the viability of your business. Look after them. Ways to nurture important relationships: A handwritten thank you card Cross-referring to professional colleagues Maintaining good communication Marketing in ways that enhance knowledge and communication (not just sell, sell, sell). Now is a good time of year to identify these relationships and touch base. (And it means you won’t get lost in the sea of Christmas cards at the end of the year!)

MONEY... We all drop the ball sometimes! This time of year gets us laser focussed on what’s been coming into our businesses, and more confrontingly, what’s been going out. We are forced to pay close attention to some truths about our businesses that we might not like. Perhaps we’ve been a bit stuck in a comfort zone with regards revenue streams. Or perhaps we’ve fallen into some bad spending habits. *ahem* Whatever it is, you need to know this: a) It happens to all of us b) It doesn’t mean you’re a failure c) Help is available d) Now’s the time to make a plan And when I say make a plan, we’re not just talking about “I promise not to buy so much stationery” … Your plan should include such things as regular meetings with your accountant, getting clarity around your budget, revenue forecasting, AND reductions in unhelpful expenditure (and so on). I’m here to tell you I STILL drop the financial ball sometimes. Which is why I’m always so grateful for the support team I have around

PERFORMANCE … When talking performance indicators, most people assume Key Performance Indicators - and then link these to punitive measures to curb underperformance. I’d like you instead to think of two types of performance indicators: Key Performance Indicators and CUSTOMER Performance Indicators. Key Performance Indicators can be things like: - Number or referrals/enquiries per month. - Number of conversions (initial appointments attended or first sales) - Retention rates (number of sessions attended before client drops off) - Average session fee for appointments - Average sale amount Go over these for each month and check for trends. These can be trends for staff performance, trends for “hot” or “cold” business months, and so on. Try to identify what’s driving the trends you identify. (Obviously taking Covid19 into account.) Customer Performance Indicators can be things like: - First impression on the phone - Satisfaction with email responses - First impression when enter

Have you avoided marketing this past financial year? Too busy? Like, literally TOO BUSY? Scared it’s going to cost you time and money? I’m here to tell you all that is nonsense. Many business owners tell me they don’t want to engage in marketing because they’re scared to have to turn business away. What does this tell us? They need to recruit, right? But there’s no staff to be found! And around and around they go. Here’s the thing. Marketing your business isn’t just about generating more business. It’s about establishing a meaningful and relatable presence in the community. This means that your business becomes a trusted part of the landscape, a service that your community grows to know, like, and trust. And this reaps benefits in … you guessed it … recruitment! So, if you’re desperate for staff and you don’t have a presence on social media (for example), how are these magical staff going to find you? And why would they choose you over the thousands of others in the same boat as yo

“What if I fail? What if I don’t have all my shit together? I’m the boss, I should have all the answers!” … And other nonsense we tell ourselves. I was interviewed today by my buddy, Gerda Muller, and we got talking about business failures and how this relates to adopting a CEO Mindset. What I said to her might surprise you.

Huge thanks to the more than 60 people who completed my survey (it’s still open if your keen). Key issues for most people: Time Management Staffing Marketing (this was very telling!) Delegation Revenue Streams So what am I doing about it? Luckily I’d already started putting together my CEO Mindset training program, which covers all these issues, and a bit more! Tess x

Today I launched my CEO Mindset training, which will run in July (2021). What is a CEO mindset though? Here's a snippet from a video I recorded in 2019 where I explain the CEO mindset concept. Since this was filmed, I've moved to Melbourne, sold one of my practices, started a third business, and employed more people to help me grow in each of my businesses ... all things I predicted as early as 2018, a classic example of strategic CEO-style visioning! Whatever your vision for your business, the content we'll cover in the CEO Mindset training program will see you taking strategic steps forward towards bringing that vision into reality. In this six-week live online training, we will tackle some of the biggest issues I'm asked about by business owners like you. * Time management * Staff recruitment and retention * Marketing * Money Mindset * And much more! Most importantly, when you walk away from this program you'll find that you start thinking more strategically, just like the

I was asked a great question this morning from someone launching a new practice. In summary the question was this: “How do I know when to set my fees at the same rate as others?” There are so many factors that go into fee setting, but the first thing you need to factor in is your own money baggage. Do you feel “worthy” to charge the same as your colleagues? Do you feel you “deserve” to earn a decent living from your labours? Do you feel that you “should” put the financial welfare of others before the viability of your business? (That’s a BIG question, I know). Where did you money attitudes come from? Family? Peers? Colleagues? It might be time to understand what an “industry standard” means, why it’s important when it comes to setting your fees. 1. Understand what your industry’s recommended fee is, and what it’s based on 2. Don’t undercut your colleagues 3. Don’t diminish the value of your profession Here are some other things I want you to think about, journal on, or get som

You’ve already got all the training, knowledge, and skills you need. All you need to do is trust in that, and share it! We all worry about “getting it wrong” sometimes. But the reality is you have conversations within your area of expertise every day. So why is it so hard to do the exact same thing with an audience? Scared of embarrassing yourself? Maybe. Scared of being judged? Probably. List all the reasons you’re an authority in your field: Years of training Money spent on professional development Years of experience Number of people helped And so on... Now tell me again why you’re scared you’ll say something dumb. See? There’s no truth to your fears. So stop letting fear call the shots. And if anyone judges or criticises you for sharing your expertise freely, send them my way! I’ve got your back! Have an amazing evening, Tess x p.s. Keep your eyes peeled for some behind the scenes footage this weekend while I have the privilege of hanging out with some of my Like A B