I have used business coaches for more than 30 years. Very few are currently engaged in my profession or businesses (they’re coaches, right? – in the business of coaching) Without exception, all of these coaches have added significant value to me and my business. The very best of them have changed the way I think about and go about doing business.
Coaching is an odd sort of a thing I find. Many people (usually those not achieving peak performance) believe that coaching is a waste of time. Some, from many walks of life, believe that they already know how to do things best, making a coach redundant. Some don’t believe that the cost of coaching is sufficiently outweighed by the benefits to make the exercise worthwhile.
It’s hard not draw a sporting analogy when we start talking about coaches. From my observation, the very best coaches are not currently, and often have never been the very best players. In fact the converse is often the case. As a fan of Australian Rules Football, I have seen that a lot of champion players have never really made it as a successful coach despite being given enormous opportunity due to their stature as a player. (If you want a list, you’ll need to buy me a beer so we can discuss it properly).
Great players all have great coaches. Usain Bolt, until recently the fastest man alive, had a coach throughout his career. Glenn Mills was Bolt’s coach from the age of 16, helping him to achieve success despite never having been a competitor in athletics at a high level. Butch Harmon coached both Greg Norman AND Tiger Woods despite having one minor win on the tour during a career which lasted only a year or two.
The following are my observations around coaching, if you have others please add them in the comments
- A coach isn’t someone who plays better than you, he may have just been playing for longer.
- Accountability means holding you responsible to do the things you need to get the results you want
- A personal trainer who doesn’t encourage you, only lectures you is no coach, they’re just a jerk
- Imagine if the only ideas players got was from other players
- Remember, the coach can’t play the game for you, but they can help you play it better
- “If you do succeed, take the credit, if you don’t sack the coach” is not the way it works in real life, you need to take responsibility
If you need help, seek it out, find someone who has the knowledge and expertise, and above all find someone you can trust
Part of my role as an adviser is that of coach. I get my satisfaction from being part of it. Growing up, I was never the best player on the team, but I always wanted to be picked, that’s why I always turned up to training, and listened to the coach. When the team won it was like I won times ten. As a coach, when my clients succeed, the feeling is just the same.
I would love to be part of your success.
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