Everyone has the potential to become a better version of themselves
So, I am a business coach writing about the importance of business coaching!
You’d expect that right, so let’s answer three questions for you first…

Do I believe in the powerful service we provide? Absolutely.

Am I bias? Absolutely, we all are to some degree although I do pride myself on my objectivity when it comes to supporting my clients and connections. I’m also proud to be part of the World’s greatest coaching organisation ActionCOACH – which exposes me to fantastic testimonials of great business and personal transformations on a regular basis. As a side note I’ve never come across such an abundant organisation in my life, freely sharing information and best practice between coaches to enable us all to better serve our clients and local business communities.

Is everyone ready and willing to invest in business coaching? No!

Whilst coaching can benefit all, some are not ready and open to thinking and acting differently to better themselves and enhance their success.
P.S.It’s not just my opinion!
Bill Gates in a TED “Everyone needs a coach.” said, whether we are a CEO, leader, teacher, basketball player or bridge player, we all need people who will help us reach our goals and give us feedback.
Gates is not alone and like in sports a lot of the best performers in business, including the likes of Jeff Bezos have coaches.
You don’t have to be a well-known business leader, all professionals like you and I can benefit from having a coach. You just need to be open to learning and implementing change.

How many business owners wake up one day and say, now l need a business coach?

 

An umber of years ago I may have said zero. Today I’d say a small minority.
What coaching provides still remains a mystery to some, yet what stands the test of time is the challenges business owners face as they create, build, scale and sell their business’. Common challenges might be … getting more customers/clients, making more money, getting more out of the team and or spending more quality time with friends and family doing what you love.
business underperforming

So how can a great business coach or team of coaches help?

 

How many people in your life look at it from a holistic perspective? (business & personal)

Great business coaches focus on supporting people make a difference to their lives both in business lives and their personal lives. We only have one life and we get to choose the balance of what we do and don’t do and how we spend our time.
I believe this link between business and personal is key to ensure both perspective and motivation.
Helping our clients see the woods from the trees has a profound effect and is an extremely rewarding part of coaching.

How many people tell you exactly how it is, with your best interests always at heart?

We all live in a media bubble where everything we read is fantastic or fantastical.
With many telling us what we want to hear, rather than being genuine, open and honest. I’m not saying we are all dishonest, far from it as much of how we all behave is best on cultural norms.
In some ways there is a parallel to be drawn here between coaches and parenting –where we are supporting others learn and develop in-order to fend for themselves in the future.
Coaches can help you out of the comfort zone where nothing grows, whilst ensuring you don’t find yourself in the STRESS zone where things can start falling apart!
fear

How many people in your life help hold you to account for the things you promise only to yourself?

Tell nobody about your plans and commitments and its so easy to let them slip (we’ve all been there). Write down your plans commit them to others including your coach and your chances have already gone up.
In the corporate world, Directors are often held to account by the Board. Limited companies and sole traders, whilst free from the same levels of corporate governance – often report to be lonely in business, with all the weight of the business and the strategic decisions falling on them and their partners.

How many professional service suppliers remain completely un-bias as to how to help you achieve success in your business?

In my experience this comes down to remuneration, our philosophy is to ensure you get return on your investment for the support we provide. We’ll tailor what we do to suit you and your needs and what makes the difference to your bottom line and other ways you define success.
A great coach will start with getting crystal clear on the direction we are heading and the SMART goals we want to achieve together. We’ll work with you to define the strategy and support you in tacking and tracking action to achieve your results.

How many people, ask you challenging questions and help you to brain storm brilliance?

Ever had that boss or director who always had the great questions that cut you down to nothing and you wished you had asked or could answer! Now imagine that person on your team, asking questions to support your development, decisions, actions and success.
The real power or the mastermind principle as Napoleon Hill would call it! (Google it if you are not familiar), bring together in synergy your knowledge and expertise with that of the coach and other sources of wisdom we choose to draw on. A very powerful force.

How many people can help you grow your business by delivering tangible results they guarantee?

Many(perhaps less with a guarantee) and we’ll often collaborate or introduce you to professional services that can help the cause.
We’ve loads of proven strategies we can bring to transform your business, we’ll also be the first to recognise where specialist expertise can supplement or accelerate our work together.
So don’t choose between a Business Coach and other key professional services, work with your coach to secure the right team of experts to support you to heights you might not otherwise reach!
 

Top performers use coaches to bring out the best in them.

We can all choose to never stop learning
We can all choose to grow
We can all choose to get ourselves a coach.
Everyone has the potential to become a better version of themselves.

Want to find out what business coaching can do for you and your business? Book a free introductory session with one of our coaches now.

James Gentle – Partner & Business Coach – Find me on LinkedIn