By Jennifer Schmiel, senior vice president of Membership Services
Jennifer Schmiel, the Chamber’s senior vice president of Membership Services, recently sat down with Karl Graf of Trustpoint Management Group and talked about five defining questions he asks his clients, the attitude among business leaders in Dallas and Michael Phelps. Want to learn more? Read on!
Can you tell me about TrustPoint Management Group?
TrustPoint is a niche consulting firm. Our expertise is in helping organizations build best in class sales organizations and helping professional firms build best in class client development practices. With that in mind, we tend to be somewhat selective in who we work with, because we are not in the “quick fix” business.
What is the proudest moment in your career?
I am most proud when I see our clients realize, through hard work, that they can achieve goals they didn’t think they could achieve before we started working together. It is rewarding to hear our clients say, “’I am so glad we engaged with you.’”
What is one piece of advice you would give to an individual seeking a business coach to help him/her move to the next level with their career or business?
I ask all potential clients five defining questions:
- Have you clearly defined your desire to move to the next level? Are you ready?
- What is your commitment level for seeing this through? Do you understand what it will take in time and energy?
- Are you ready to look internally and address any issues that you may personally need to address?
- What is your ROI? How will we justify the energy and time investment?
- Do you have the ability to make decisions to see the changes? It’s not the decisions, it’s the inability to make the decisions that sometimes hold people back.
Change is not easy, so we need to understand why change is necessary. It is always important to have dialogue upfront. Now may not be the right time to engage; however, it is important to ask yourself, “’What happens if I don’t change?’”
What do you like best about doing business in the Dallas region?
The Dallas region has a proactive business community with bright business owners. The attitude among business owners and leaders is, “I refuse to participate in the recession.” It’s an attitude that is contagious. Business owners continue to create value for their companies and the region at large.
What excites you most about your job?
I help people and change lives. Everyday I ask myself, “How can I change someone’s life today?” That is pretty exciting.
Business coaching and athletic coaching are similar in some ways. The Summer Olympics just ended, and there was a lot of excitement around the games. Did you watch? Did you have a favorite athlete in this year’s games?
Yes, I watched the Olympics. Michael Phelps was an athlete I enjoyed watching. He was always challenging himself. When he was defeated he did not get discouraged. It was a 20 year journey for him.
