Set Healthy Boundaries to Avoid Having Your Professional Brain Picked Clean

As a professional, it’s common to be asked for your opinion, advice and help on topics in your field by anyone from fellow professionals to family and everyone in between. Perhaps you take the time to explain how a piece of legislation will affect people from the vantage point of your industry; you let a law student interview you about your practice for a school project; or as a hiring manager, you help a friend flesh out their LinkedIn profile. You share your expertise freely because it’s human nature to want to be of assistance to others.

Is it always the right policy, however, to share for free the knowledge and ability it has taken you years - maybe decades - to acquire? How can you avoid having your professional brain "picked clean" by others? When is a request for help - even from someone close to us - too much to ask?

Setting healthy boundaries around your professional assets

Your mindset plays a big part in determining what and how much you are willing to give away from your professional toolbox. Keep in mind the fact that professionals get paid for their time and talents - and if people respect you, they will honor the fact that what you do has value and deserves to be monetized - even if they have personal access to you.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t spread some professional intel around; in fact, it’s an effective way to gain the goodwill of people who may be so pleased with what you gave gratis, that they’ll choose to become a paying client in the future. Volunteering your professional services is an example of smart sharing of your professional offerings. It allows people to sample your work and know you as a generous, caring businessperson.

Remember, though, there should be a limit to your generosity so as not to endanger your bottom line. The first step is to establish boundaries, so you’re not taken advantage of. Determine what feels acceptable for you to give away for free; draw a line in the proverbial sand. For example, you could devise a particular offering plan that provides value but won’t rob you of billable time - like these for example...

As a CPA, you will answer a general tax preparation question from a neighbor, give a 10-minute consultation to a friend who’s starting a business and you’ll help your sister get good terms on her mortgage. But you won’tdo your neighbor’s taxes, set up your friend’s accounting system or complete your sister’s loan application. Carefully considering the limits of what you are willing to offer for free beforehand will make it easier and less uncomfortable at the time you are asked for a professional favor.

And speaking of uncomfortable situations... being asked to work for free can put you in one if you haven’t thought it through and decided how you’ll respond. A reasonable response will play up the benefits of what you arewilling to give so the asker will not hear, "No," but rather, "Here is a valuable thing I am willing to give. Something like, "I’ve found a lot can be addressed in a 10-minute consultation with me. Why don’t we set that up to discuss some important accounting tips for new businesses," could express your offer effectively and actually leave the friend feeling well served.

Another way to "give" of your professional self is to offer helpful materials that provide information people may come to you to obtain. Think a .pdf of tips, reference materials or a glossary of terms with which they may be unfamiliar. Create these once, brand them with your logo and contact information and they’re not only valuable resources you can provide for free, but they become powerful marketing tools as well.

You want to be accommodating and helpful, but not be taken advantage of by people who don’t realize or respect that a professional’s time is valuable. There’s a lot you can do for free to help while fostering and nurturing relationships with everyone with whom you come into contact.

How do you avoid having your professional brain picked clean?