There are lots of articles on business coaching that spells out the “how” business coaching works, but not necessarily the “why” or the experience of coaching. My hope is that this post will give you the “feel” of coaching. When I first start working with a client I ask questions so I can understand where they are coming from and dig deep into how I can help. Here are a few responses I’ve received:
- “I’d like to have more control over my business instead of it controlling me”
- “I’m worried that I’m not making changes fast enough in my business”
- “My biggest concern is getting new customers”
- “I’m stretched too thin”
- “I lose sleep over thinking about cash flow”
You can see that those are very personal responses. That requires a lot of trust. Trust and vulnerability. And sometimes that hurts. And sometimes it sucks. Few enjoy talking about weaknesses, but the only way to make a positive change (and business altering change) is to be honest and put it out there.
If I know my client’s concerns, issues, and weaknesses I can work with them on making positive changes to help achieve their dreams. I create a space for them to feel understood, accepted, and open to digging deeper to what it would look like if they purposely worked on changing their actions or attitudes around a matter.
For example, when a client says “I’d like to have more control over my business instead of it controlling me”, I might would ask:
- Describe a normal day for me
- What tasks are you doing that can be delegated to someone else?
- If those tasks were delegated to someone else, how much time would that free up?
- What would you do with the extra time? Could you use that time to sell more services?
- If that means more time to sell, how much additional income could you make in 1 week?
- What would that look like over a 1 year time frame?
What I’ve done in that example is to guide them to an end result that they are looking for (higher income) and away from the problem (not enough time in the day). The client is only thinking of the right now, but if I can get them to think in big picture and long-term results then there is a better likelihood of making a positive change.
Again, this is just an example. Each client is different and has different challenges and goals, but this is the experience of coaching.
My objective as a coach is to help you work through the challenges that you face as well as helping you see the value in making positive changes. I am also helping you with clarity, offering you a safe and confidential place, giving you someone to lean on, and helping you push trough to achieve your dreams (..oh, and becoming your #1 cheerleader).
If you think you could benefit from having a business coach, let’s connect. We can schedule a free discovery call to see if we are a right fit for each other.