Mentoring

We are deep into the information age. In fact, there’s so much information coming at us from so many different directions that “information anxiety” should probably be a DSM-V diagnosis. Too much information (TMI) is our reality, and while there’s a distinct difference between quantity and quality, it’s easy to get sucked into the low quality noise. Do we really want to reduce our lives to the details of Ashton Kutcher’s sex life, Alec Baldwin’s musing about flight attendants or a constant stream of updates from “friends” we haven’t seen since high school?

Recently I was involved in three different mentoring situations with three legal nurse consultants. The first one forgot and missed our phone appointment. The second failed to complete the simple advance assignment I’d given her, despite the fact that she has more than enough free time on her hands – I know because I get her constant Facebook updates. The third is raising four sons, holding down a full-time nursing job and still made time to complete the assignments on schedule and attend an additional mentoring session for an upcoming interview with a potential attorney-client. Which Certified Legal Nurse Consultant do you think will be most successful?

In these busy times fraught with TMI what will you do to cut out the noise? Make a wise decision – your CLNC^® business depends on it. Now that’s a bit of information that really merits your attention.

Success Is Inside!

P.S. Comment and share what you will do to cut out the noise.

In honor of my favorite quote by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, “Well-behaved women rarely make history”, my New Year’s resolution for 2012 is to be less well-behaved.

Whether it’s in an interview, a CLNC^® 6-Day Certification Seminar or an individual mentoring session, you’re going to see more of the real Vickie in 2012. I’m going to let go and tell it like it is and in so doing, I hope to inspire you to realize your own best self as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant.

Know that I remain in your service – it’s just going to be service a little more “Vickie style.” While mentoring one of you it hit me that I was holding back to spare your feelings. I owe you an apology. I not only wasted my time; I wasted yours too. I hung up the phone and vowed in 2012 to bring more of the realistic, optimistic, buck-up Vickie that my staff, friends and family know and many (or some) days love. This is the style that’s served me for 30 years in my legal nurse consulting business and now it’s time to crank it up a notch for you and your CLNC^® businesses. Here’s to being less well behaved in 2012.

Success is Inside!

P.S. Go ahead, comment and tell me what you really think.

I love the comforts of my home and my cozy neighborhood. Being home is like experiencing a steaming cup of green tea – it just feels right. I also love traveling to new places and have hiked and biked all over the world.

And then there’s the business travel I do for nine or 10 weeks a year. The hotels I stay in don’t come close to the comforts of home nor do they rival the remote and adventurous places I’ve been. Wherever I go though, I have to deal with one of the most deteriorating, surviving industries in the U.S. – the airline industry. But this blog is not a rant about airlines. I’ve done that one already.

Today’s blog is about happiness. I’m not one to advocate “Barbie-Dolling” it (don’t you just hate that?), but one thing I’ve learned is that the happier I am, the happier I am. Happiness is not only contagious to others, it’s contagious to ourselves. My grandmother had multiple sclerosis, yet she was one of the happiest people I’ve known. She taught me that happiness is not a condition – happiness is a choice.

I don’t always wake up happy, but wherever I am, I try to focus on the part of the experience that is good. For example, I might not like the bed in my hotel room but I am passionate about teaching and mentoring nurses in person. The CLNC^® 6-Day Certification Seminars and my speaking engagements require the occasional uncomfortable bed.

Gratitude is an antidote to unhappiness. Life will always throw us curveballs, fastballs and, just when you think you know what’s coming next, the occasional change-up. Being happy to the core helps us to hit them back – no matter how fast they are or how many come our way.

Attorneys are like you and me. They enjoy being around happy people. I recently mentored a legal nurse consulting student who refused to move out of the drama of a negative experience. For two weeks she dwelled on something that was easily solved in three minutes. My advice to her was: “Move on and choose happiness. You’ll be happier and your attorney-clients will be happier.”

That is what I wish for you too – whatever challenge you face today, choose happiness first. You’ll find it’s contagious and suddenly you’ll knock that fastball out of the park!

Success Is Inside!

In my 28 years of legal nurse consulting education, I have personally mentored thousands of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants and CLNC^® graduates. After all these years, I still love to mentor. I think it’s in my DNA and I like knowing that the advice I’m giving doesn’t come from a textbook or some other expert. I’ve lived it for 28 years and I always pride myself on the fact that my advice is real and grounded – there’s no fluff. Of all the mentors at Vickie Milazzo Institute, I’m probably the toughest. I’ve always lived a “buck-up” lifestyle and don’t like it when a person makes excuses for why they can’t do what they know they have to do to succeed.

I’m also never afraid to say I don’t know or that I have to research a question (a skill I learned from working with attorneys). What I want you to know is that my advice is only as good as your willingness to receive it and do something with it.

Here are the true Hollywood stories of two different nurses and their very different reactions to my mentoring. The first is a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant who’s been in business for 10 years. He asked me to critique an audio recording promo he created for his attorney-prospects. When I communicated my input, I started by saying that I wasn’t sure if he wanted to re-record the promo, but that my feedback would require him to do so. His response was, “Absolutely, I’ll do it!” and I know he will.

The other is a student with zero years of experience. She has bombarded me and other CLNC^® mentors with question after question, all without putting any of it into practice. With every piece of advice offered, she instantly jumps in to say why the advice is wrong for her or just won’t work. Rather than becoming a “Successful CLNC^® Consultant,” she’s become an expert in what won’t work, never having tried to find out what will work. She’s imprisoned inside a cage of her own making. She has the tools to break out but won’t put them to use.

I have a dear friend who’s 79 years old. She’s embracing technology but always sends me text messages written in ALL CAPS. It’s harmless to me, and I don’t have the heart to correct to tell her she’s SHOUTING. But, when I’m working with a CLNC^® graduate or student, I feel it’s my obligation to correct their behavior and to tell them even those things they might not want to hear. It’s in my DNA to be honest and hopefully, it’s in your DNA to listen to my advice.

If I can borrow and paraphrase Danny DeVito’s great line from the movie, War of the Roses, “when someone who gets paid $400/hour wants to give you free advice, you should listen.” When you’ve asked advice from an expert, whether you’re paying for it or not, you should be ready to listen. It doesn’t mean you should blindly follow it. I’ve gotten advice from high-powered business experts that was clearly wrong for me, but I at least considered it before rejecting it outright.

When you ask an expert’s advice you don’t have to heed it, but here’s what I do recommend: use your own mind to decide your final course, but first receive the expert’s advice with openness and curiosity. Consider the experience of the person giving you the advice. Contrary to what the amateurs like to think, all opinions are not created equal. Look at the qualities and qualifications of the person giving you the advice. Have they ever run a successful business? Are they in business at all or are they living off someone else’s coattails?

If the advice is from a credible expert, ask yourself why you are resisting that advice. Is it because the advice is not a right fit for you? Or, are you rejecting it because it will require you to stretch yourself or do something inconvenient or outside the comfort zone you’ve built around yourself?

There’s an old joke about a woman who prayed every night asking to win the lottery. One day her prayer was answered by a voice telling her she needed first to buy a lottery ticket. You can get all the advice in the world, but until you put it into use, literally buy a ticket for the ride to success, or as I like to say, put some skin into the game, advice will be just that – advice. The only way you’ll learn whether it was good or bad is to take the advice and take action.

Remember, we are not defined by our past. We are not defined by our future. We are only defined by this very moment and what we do with it. Take my advice on this.

Success Is Inside!

My experience in hospital nursing was filled with mixed emotions. The frustration level was one that I have never experienced anywhere else. But I kept being a nurse, and I kept going to work. Nursing jobs paid the bills but did not contribute to my soul.

When I saw Vickie Milazzo’s ad for the CLNC^® Certification Program, I wondered if this was a nursing career that I could be passionate about. I saw the ad several more times after that. Each time I felt a tremendous pull. The woman in the ad looked like no nurse in my facility. Vickie personified a victorious nurse dedicated to her profession, unlike other ads where the model-like woman leaps through the air with her hair blowing in the wind.

Little did I know I was implementing a business plan by showing the ad to my husband and proclaiming, “What an investment this would be for our future. We need to choose the VIP CLNC^® Business System and take advantage of all the available resources.”

My fear of flying could not hold me back. Several months later, I looked out of the airplane window after take-off. Dark thunderheads hung over the mountain tops. Lightning flashed sending streaks of light all around the plane. Down below, hundreds of colorful hot air balloons lit up Balloon Fiesta Park waiting for their early morning launch. My overwhelmed senses were full of expectations yet to come and I was calmed by the knowledge that I was so lucky to be the lead character in this new adventure.

That was the calm before the storm. WOW, is how I describe the CLNC^® 6-day Certification Seminar. I was amazed by Vickie and the course content. Then the 2-Day NACLNC^® Apprenticeship followed. I was brain-dead by the time it was over. I assumed the hardest and most challenging part was behind me. I went home and began implementing everything I had learned right away.

I went on my first marketing campaign in my hometown. I had seven promotional packets. Each one contained a personalized introduction letter to the attorney, a brochure, a business card and a professional profile. I marketed to all seven offices, but it took every ounce of courage I had. My husband went with me to the first office. I’m sure “amateur” was written all over me. I decided taking my husband wasn’t a good idea. The next office I went to was torturous. I stood there knowing I had to go in, but wishing I didn’t have to. My palms were wet and my mouth was dry. My husband reassured me from the sidewalk and I took a deep breath and went in. I met four attorneys that day. Each time I felt out of my element and left the office thinking, “There has to be another way.” I felt as wanted as a telemarketer.

I did the “busy thing” for awhile after that. We built an office and I set that up. I reviewed the advanced resources in my VIP CLNC^® Business System. Then I went to the NACLNC^® Conference in March. I talked with Certified Legal Nurse Consultants about their strategies for overcoming fears. Nothing clicked for me. I did discover other strategies to beef up my promotional packet and implemented them as soon as I got home. I went on several more marketing campaigns, but I could not overcome the fear of meeting attorneys. I went to their offices hoping I wouldn’t see any. I could relate to the office staff and break ice with them, but not the attorney. How was I going to get business with this mindset? The fear of meeting attorneys was bordering on a phobia.

The turning point came when a legal secretary called my office after receiving my promotional package and left a message for me to call. As usual, I contacted Vickie Milazzo Institute for mentoring. I listened carefully to the CLNC^® Mentor and followed up with the appropriate phone calls and sent a follow-up letter. Three weeks later, the legal secretary called to set up my first appointment with the attorney. I was thrilled, but it was short-lived as fear began to well up inside of me, again. I contacted Vickie Milazzo Institute for mentoring yet again. I was probably over-prepared for this meeting, but it was important to get it right. I would have to do this in spite of the fear.

I had no idea what to expect, but I was well prepared in every way right down to the power suit. I arrived at the office early to find out the attorney would be late. “That’s okay,” I thought, “I can wait.” There were a couple of gentlemen also waiting. We made small talk until the attorney arrived. After she arrived, she took one of the gentlemen in her office for about twenty minutes. He left and then the legal secretary ushered me and the other gentleman into a small conference room.

“What is this?” I thought. I was led to believe it would be the attorney and I, only. Everyone was introduced. It was very formal.

The attorney said, “This is Mrs. Schmitt. She is an expert and she is going to tell us how to proceed. Go ahead, Mr. Jones (not his real name), tell her your story.”

I felt my eyes bug out. My inner voice said, “Wait! I didn’t practice this! No time for a mentor request.”

The man started talking, but I could not understand him. His lips were moving and I could hear his voice, but I was so paralyzed with fear that I wondered what I looked like to him or, horror of horrors, what did I look like to the attorney?! I thought, “I better snap out of it because the attorney is going to expect something intelligent from me!”

Thank God this drama was only going on inside my head and not in the room. In a split second, I realized that sitting in front of me was a patient, Mr. Jones. My nursing instincts kicked in. I forgot about the power suit I was wearing and immediately began to assess his physical condition and his words became crystal clear. “The other guy dropped the air conditioner causing me to fall and hurt my back and knee,” he continued.

The 30 services that Certified Legal Nurse Consultants offer with a risk-free guarantee faded away as I asked, “How many days after the surgery did you notice the redness and swelling?”

My sample work products became forgotten when I told the attorney, “The infection that your client acquired after surgery was not the result of mismanaged care because they did a culture and treated it in a timely manner.”

The attorney asked numerous questions: “How can you tell if it was the hospital’s fault? What can you tell from the medical records?” The attorney mysteriously became a patient as well. She wanted to know what I knew. I answered all her questions demonstrating how I, the Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, could help with her medical-related cases. I stated that in my opinion there was no medical malpractice in this case and that she should only pursue the personal injury claim. I explained vocational and functional capacity evaluations that could strengthen her case. As the conversation went on she was amazed at the information I provided. She was a criminal defense attorney and had people ask her about taking medical malpractice cases. She said she had five potential medical malpractice cases and set up an appointment with me for the next case.

That experience changed me. I had heard other success stories that sounded too good to be true; a CLNC^® consultant goes into an attorney’s office and walks out with armloads of cases. But this attorney was truly sincere.

I now remember that I’m a nurse when I market to attorneys, which is what I should have been doing all along. I am not a salesperson, I am proud to be a nurse. Now, when I go into attorneys’ offices, I hope I meet them and ask if they are in so I can meet them. I look forward to educating them about how I can cost effectively consult on their medical-related cases. The expertise of registered nurses is as important to attorneys as it is to patients. Thanks to Vickie Milazzo and the CLNC^® Mentors, this expertise is available to every attorney through all of us Certified Legal Nurse Consultants. It is our job to educate attorneys in every creative way we can.

Guest Blogger Profile

Diana Schmitt, RN, BSN, CLNC has 24 years experience in the health care industry and is the owner of Diana Schmitt & Associates Certified Legal Nurse Consultants. Her firm specializes in merit review, expert witness location, and medical literature research for medical malpractice cases.